Meiotic catastrophe and retrotransposon reactivation in male germ cells lacking Dnmt3L

Mammalian genomes employ heritable cytosine methylation in the long-term silencing of retrotransposons and genes subject to genomic imprinting and X chromosome inactivation. Little is known of the mechanisms that direct cytosine methylation to specific sequences. Here we show that DNA methyltransferase 3-like (Dnmt3L (ref. 1)) is expressed in testes during a brief perinatal period in the non-dividing precursors of spermatogonial stem cells at a stage where retrotransposons undergo de novo methylation. Deletion of the Dnmt3L gene prevented the de novo methylation of both long-terminal-repeat (LTR) and non-LTR retrotransposons, which were transcribed at high levels in spermatogonia and spermatocytes. Loss of Dnmt3L from early germ cells also caused meiotic failure in spermatocytes, which do not express Dnmt3L. Whereas dispersed repeated sequences were demethylated in mutant germ cells, tandem repeats in pericentric regions were methylated normally. This result indicates that the Dnmt3L protein might have a function in the de novo methylation of dispersed repeated sequences in a premeiotic genome scanning process that occurs in male germ cells at about the time of birth.     

Structure of Dnmt3a bound to Dnmt3L suggests a model for de novo DNA methylation

Genetic imprinting, found in flowering plants and placental mammals, uses DNA methylation to yield gene expression that is dependent on the parent of origin. DNA methyltransferase 3a (Dnmt3a) and its regulatory factor, DNA methyltransferase 3-like protein (Dnmt3L), are both required for the de novo DNA methylation of imprinted genes in mammalian germ cells. Dnmt3L interacts specifically with unmethylated lysine 4 of histone H3 through its amino-terminal PHD (plant homeodomain)-like domain. Here we show, with the use of crystallography, that the carboxy-terminal domain of human Dnmt3L interacts with the catalytic domain of Dnmt3a, demonstrating that Dnmt3L has dual functions of binding the unmethylated histone tail and activating DNA methyltransferase. The complexed C-terminal domains of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3L showed further dimerization through Dnmt3a-Dnmt3a interaction, forming a tetrameric complex with two active sites. Substitution of key non-catalytic residues at the Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L interface or the Dnmt3a-Dnmt3a interface eliminated enzymatic activity. Molecular modelling of a DNA-Dnmt3a dimer indicated that the two active sites are separated by about one DNA helical turn. The C-terminal domain of Dnmt3a oligomerizes on DNA to form a nucleoprotein filament. A periodicity in the activity of Dnmt3a on long DNA revealed a correlation of methylated CpG sites at distances of eight to ten base pairs, indicating that oligomerization leads Dnmt3a to methylate DNA in a periodic pattern. A similar periodicity is observed for the frequency of CpG sites in the differentially methylated regions of 12 maternally imprinted mouse genes. These results suggest a basis for the recognition and methylation of differentially methylated regions in imprinted genes, involving the detection of both nucleosome modification and CpG spacing.     

Birth of parthenogenetic mice that can develop to adulthood

Only mammals have relinquished parthenogenesis, a means of producing descendants solely from maternal germ cells. Mouse parthenogenetic embryos die by day 10 of gestation. Bi-parental reproduction is necessary because of parent-specific epigenetic modification of the genome during gametogenesis. This leads to unequal expression of imprinted genes from the maternal and paternal alleles. However, there is no direct evidence that genomic imprinting is the only barrier to parthenogenetic development. Here we show the development of a viable parthenogenetic mouse individual from a reconstructed oocyte containing two haploid sets of maternal genome, derived from non-growing and fully grown oocytes. This development was made possible by the appropriate expression of the Igf2 and H19 genes with other imprinted genes, using mutant mice with a 13-kilobase deletion in the H19 gene as non-growing oocytes donors. This full-term development is associated with a marked reduction in aberrantly expressed genes. The parthenote developed to adulthood with the ability to reproduce offspring. These results suggest that paternal imprinting prevents parthenogenesis, ensuring that the paternal contribution is obligatory for the descendant.     

The role of Tet3 DNA dioxygenase in epigenetic reprogramming by oocytes

Sperm and eggs carry distinctive epigenetic modifications that are adjusted by reprogramming after fertilization. The paternal genome in a zygote undergoes active DNA demethylation before the first mitosis. The biological significance and mechanisms of this paternal epigenome remodelling have remained unclear. Here we report that, within mouse zygotes, oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) occurs on the paternal genome, changing 5mC into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the dioxygenase Tet3 (ref. 5) is enriched specifically in the male pronucleus. In Tet3-deficient zygotes from conditional knockout mice, paternal-genome conversion of 5mC into 5hmC fails to occur and the level of 5mC remains constant. Deficiency of Tet3 also impedes the demethylation process of the paternal Oct4 and Nanog genes and delays the subsequent activation of a paternally derived Oct4 transgene in early embryos. Female mice depleted of Tet3 in the germ line show severely reduced fecundity and their heterozygous mutant offspring lacking maternal Tet3 suffer an increased incidence of developmental failure. Oocytes lacking Tet3 also seem to have a reduced ability to reprogram the injected nuclei from somatic cells. Therefore, Tet3-mediated DNA hydroxylation is involved in epigenetic reprogramming of the zygotic paternal DNA following natural fertilization and may also contribute to somatic cell nuclear reprogramming during animal cloning.     

Maternal Rnf12/RLIM is required for imprinted X-chromosome inactivation in mice

Two forms of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) ensure the selective silencing of female sex chromosomes during mouse embryogenesis. Imprinted XCI begins with the detection of Xist RNA expression on the paternal X?chromosome (Xp) at about the four-cell stage of embryonic development. In the embryonic tissues of the inner cell mass, a random form of XCI occurs in blastocysts that inactivates either Xp or the maternal X?chromosome (Xm). Both forms of XCI require the non-coding Xist RNA that coats the inactive X?chromosome from which it is expressed. Xist has crucial functions in the silencing of X-linked genes, including Rnf12 (refs 3, 4) encoding the ubiquitin ligase RLIM (RING finger LIM-domain-interacting protein). Here we show, by targeting a conditional knockout of Rnf12 to oocytes where RLIM accumulates to high levels, that the maternal transmission of the mutant X?chromosome (Δm) leads to lethality in female embryos as a result of defective imprinted XCI. We provide evidence that in Δm female embryos the initial formation of Xist clouds and Xp silencing are inhibited. In contrast, embryonic stem cells lacking RLIM are able to form Xist clouds and silence at least some X-linked genes during random XCI. These results assign crucial functions to the maternal deposit of Rnf12/RLIM for the initiation of imprinted XCI.     

PGC7 binds histone H3K9me2 to protect against conversion of 5mC to 5hmC in early embryos

The modification of DNA by 5-methylcytosine (5mC) has essential roles in cell differentiation and development through epigenetic gene regulation. 5mC can be converted to another modified base, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), by the tet methylcytosine dioxygenase (Tet) family of enzymes. Notably, the balance between 5hmC and 5mC in the genome is linked with cell-differentiation processes such as pluripotency and lineage commitment. We have previously reported that the maternal factor PGC7 (also known as Dppa3, Stella) is required for the maintenance of DNA methylation in early embryogenesis, and protects 5mC from conversion to 5hmC in the maternal genome. Here we show that PGC7 protects 5mC from Tet3-mediated conversion to 5hmC by binding to maternal chromatin containing dimethylated histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me2) in mice. In addition, imprinted loci that are marked with H3K9me2 in mature sperm are protected by PGC7 binding in early embryogenesis. This type of regulatory mechanism could be involved in DNA modifications in somatic cells as well as in early embryos.     

DNMT1 and DNMT3b cooperate to silence genes in human cancer cells

Inactivation of tumour suppressor genes is central to the development of all common forms of human cancer. This inactivation often results from epigenetic silencing associated with hypermethylation rather than intragenic mutations. In human cells, the mechanisms underlying locus-specific or global methylation patterns remain unclear. The prototypic DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt1, accounts for most methylation in mouse cells, but human cancer cells lacking DNMT1 retain significant genomic methylation and associated gene silencing. We disrupted the human DNMT3b gene in a colorectal cancer cell line. This deletion reduced global DNA methylation by less than 3%. Surprisingly, however, genetic disruption of both DNMT1 and DNMT3b nearly eliminated methyltransferase activity, and reduced genomic DNA methylation by greater than 95%. These marked changes resulted in demethylation of repeated sequences, loss of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF2) imprinting, abrogation of silencing of the tumour suppressor gene p16INK4a, and growth suppression. Here we demonstrate that two enzymes cooperatively maintain DNA methylation and gene silencing in human cancer cells, and provide compelling evidence that such methylation is essential for optimal neoplastic proliferation.     

基于Cre-LoxP系统的条件性定点敲入人源hRas基因小鼠的建立

目的 构建基于Cre- LoxP系统的条件性定点敲入人源hRas基因(c-Ha-ras)的小鼠,以获得hRas基因在特定组织器官条件性表达的小鼠模型,用于药物的临床前致癌性安全评价及相关机制研究。方法 首先构建hRas打靶载体,电击法转染入小鼠胚胎干细胞(ES细胞),用正负法筛选阳性ES细胞,通过PCR、 Southern鉴定后,将正确重组hRas基因的ES细胞导入C57BL/6 J小鼠囊胚,移入同步发育的受体鼠子宫,妊娠足月出生的嵌合体小鼠与C57BL/6 J小鼠交配获得杂合子hRasfl/+小鼠。再将杂合子hRasfl/+小鼠间交配获得纯合子小鼠hRasfl/fi,然后与全身组织细胞表达Cre重组酶的Tg (EIIa-cre)小鼠进行交配,获得全身细胞表达hRas基因的hRas-EIIa-cre小鼠,并通过荧光定量PCR方法检测不同日龄胚胎期仔鼠的hRas基因表达水平。结果 成功构建了基于Cre- LoxP系统的人源hRas基因条件性定点敲入小鼠模型的载体,筛选得到的一个正确克隆,电转ES细胞后进行Southern blot鉴定,经过初筛和复筛,共获得12个阳性克隆,挑选A11号克隆ES细胞进行囊胚注射,移植了48枚胚胎,出生9只小鼠,其中6只为嵌合鼠,将嵌合率>50%的雄鼠与野生型C57BL /6 J雌鼠进行交配,出生21只后代,其中鉴定有4只hRasfl/+小鼠;hRasfl/+小鼠间交配出生29只小鼠,其中有14只纯合子hRasfl/fi小鼠;hRasfl/fl小鼠与Tg (EIIa-cre)工具鼠交配6次,未有仔鼠出生;跟踪不同发育时期胚胎中hRas基因的表达发现,E10.5～15.5 d胚胎中检测到hRas基因表达。结论 成功建立运用Cre- LoxP系统建立了带有hRas基因敲入的纯合子小鼠hRasfl/fl,未能得到全身细胞高效表达人源hRas基因的hRas-EIIa-cre小鼠,但为进一步利用hRasfl/fl小鼠模型建立其他组织特异性的条件性基因敲入小鼠模型做好技术储备。     

补体C3基因敲除小鼠的繁育及子代基因型鉴定

目的 探讨繁殖和鉴定补体c3基因敲除小鼠的实验方法。方法将所引进的补体c3基因敲除杂合子小鼠（c3＋／-）进行饲养并繁殖,其子代出现三种基因型的小鼠,即纯合子c3-／-、杂合子c3＋／-、野生型c3＋／＋,采用ELISA与PCR相结合对子代小鼠基因型进行鉴定。结果繁育出135只子代小鼠,经鉴定,（=3＋／＋、c3＋／-、C3-／-各为38只、68只、29只,经爿。检验,子代小鼠分离比例符合孟德尔遗传规律。结论正确的饲养繁殖以及子代鉴定是从杂合子小鼠中获得补体c3基因敲除小鼠的有效途径。     

IDH1(R132H) mutation increases murine haematopoietic progenitors and alters epigenetics

Mutations in the IDH1 and IDH2 genes encoding isocitrate dehydrogenases are frequently found in human glioblastomas and cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukaemias (AML). These alterations are gain-of-function mutations in that they drive the synthesis of the ‘oncometabolite’ R-2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG). It remains unclear how IDH1 and IDH2 mutations modify myeloid cell development and promote leukaemogenesis. Here we report the characterization of conditional knock-in (KI) mice in which the most common IDH1 mutation, IDH1(R132H), is inserted into the endogenous murine Idh1 locus and is expressed in all haematopoietic cells (Vav-KI mice) or specifically in cells of the myeloid lineage (LysM-KI mice). These mutants show increased numbers of early haematopoietic progenitors and develop splenomegaly and anaemia with extramedullary haematopoiesis, suggesting a dysfunctional bone marrow niche. Furthermore, LysM-KI cells have hypermethylated histones and changes to DNA methylation similar to those observed in human IDH1- or IDH2-mutant AML. To our knowledge, our study is the first to describe the generation and characterization of conditional IDH1(R132H)-KI mice, and also the first report to demonstrate the induction of a leukaemic DNA methylation signature in a mouse model. Our report thus sheds light on the mechanistic links between IDH1 mutation and human AML.     

Maternal inhibition of hepatitis B surface antigen gene expression in transgenic mice correlates with de novo methylation

Differential modifications of the genome during gametogenesis result in a functional difference between the paternal and maternal genomes at the moment of fertilization. A possible cause of this imprinting is the methylation of DNA. The insertion of foreign DNA into transgenic mice allows the tagging of regions that are differentially methylated during gametogenesis. We describe here a transgenic mouse strain in which the expression of the hepatitis B surface antigen gene is irreversibly repressed following its passage through the female germ line. This inhibition is accompanied by the methylation of all the HpaII and HhaI sites within the foreign gene, which we have shown to be integrated into a site on chromosome 13. The irreversibility reported here contrasts with what is found with other transgenic mice sequences which are reversibly methylated after passage through the male or female germ line, though in both cases methylation appears to be important in the imprinting process.     

Genomic imprinting determines methylation of parental alleles in transgenic mice

Mouse embryogenesis relies on the presence of both the maternal and the paternal genome for development to term. It has been proposed that specific modifications are imprinted onto the chromosomes during gametogenesis; these modifications are stably propagated, and their expression results in distinct and complementary contributions of the two parental genomes to the development of the embryo and the extraembryonic membranes. Genetic data further suggest that a substantial proportion of the genome could be subject to chromosomal imprinting, the molecular nature of which is unknown. We used random DNA insertions in transgenic mice to probe the genome for modified regions. The DNA methylation patterns of transgenic alleles were compared after transmission from mother or father in seven mouse strains carrying autosomal insertions of the same transgenic marker. One of these loci showed a clear difference in DNA methylation specific for its parental origin, with the paternally inherited copy being relatively undermethylated. This difference was observed in embryos on day 10 of gestation, but not in their extraembryonic membranes. Moreover, the methylation pattern was faithfully reversed upon each germline transmission to the opposite sex. Our findings provide evidence for heritable molecular differences between maternally and paternally derived alleles on mouse chromosomes.     

Consecutive inactivation of both alleles of the pim-1 proto-oncogene by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells

Specific genes can be inactivated or mutated in the mouse germ line. The phenotypic consequences of the mutation can provide pivotal information on the function of the gene in development and maintenance of the mammalian organism. The procedure entails homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells, which, on fusion to recipient blastocysts, give rise to chimaeric mice that can transmit the mutant gene to their offspring. Inbreeding can then yield mice carrying the mutation in both alleles allowing the phenotypic analysis of recessive mutations. In addition to mice lacking a particular gene function, cell lines carrying null alleles of normally expressed genes can be instrumental in assessing the function of the gene. These cell lines can either be obtained from homozygous animals or, should the mutation be lethal early in embryonic development, be generated by consecutive inactivation of both alleles by homologous recombination in cultured cells. Here we illustrate the feasibility of this latter approach by the efficient consecutive inactivation of both alleles of the pim-1 proto-oncogene in embryonic stem cells.     

Smad3基因剔除小鼠的基因型鉴定与繁殖性能研究

以前的研究显示Smad3基因剔除 (Smad3ex8 ex8)导致小鼠发生渐进性的白细胞增多症、牙周炎、胃炎、肠炎以及粘膜表面附近脓肿形成的慢性感染。对有症状的Smad3ex8 ex8小鼠淋巴结的组织学及免疫表型分析显示T细胞有增强的增殖能力及活化的表型。进一步的研究表明Smad3ex8 ex8小鼠胸腺细胞及外周T细胞彻底失去了对TGF β的应答。此外 ,Smad3ex8 ex8突变纯合子小鼠还表现出典型的骨关节炎、骨质疏松和创伤愈合速度加快表型。因此 ,Smad3ex8 ex8突变纯合子小鼠有可能作为研究粘膜免疫缺陷和骨性关节炎等疾病发生的分子机制的模型动物 ,为了…     

Analysis of T-cell subsets in rejection of Kb mutant skin allografts differing at class I MHC

The T-cell subpopulations which initiate and mediate tissue allograft rejection remain controversial. In the present study we attempted to identify the phenotype and function of the T-cell subset(s) primarily responsible for the rejection of skin allografts differing at a single class I locus in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). We found that the rejection rates by B6 mice (H-2b) of four different class I mutant (Kbm) skin allografts form a distinct hierarchy. This hierarchy correlates strikingly and uniquely with the relative precursor frequencies of Lyt2+ interleukin-2-secreting T-helper cells reactive against the various Kbm mutants. To investigate the role of Lyt2+ T cells in the rejection of class I-disparate skin allografts directly, H-2b nude mice were engrafted with Kbm skin allografts and then reconstituted with L3T4+ or Lyt2+ T-cell subpopulations from syngeneic H-2b mice. Lyt2+ T cells were observed to be both necessary and sufficient for the rejection of class I-disparate Kbm skin allografts, whereas L3T4+ T cells were neither necessary nor sufficient. These results identify the Lyt2+ interleukin-2-secreting T-cell subset as the critical cell type determining the rejection rate of class I-disparate Kbm skin allografts.     

Demethylation of CpG islands in embryonic cells

DNA in differentiated somatic cells has a fixed pattern of methylation, which is faithfully copied after replication. By contrast, the methylation patterns of many tissue-specific and some housekeeping genes are altered during normal development. This modification of DNA methylation in the embryo has also been observed in transgenic mice and in transfection experiments. Here we report the fate in mice of an in vitro-methylated adenine phosphoribosyltransferase transgene. The entire 5' CpG island region became demethylated, whereas the 3' end of the gene remained modified and was even methylated de novo at additional sites. Transfection experiments in vitro show that the demethylation is rapid, is specific for embryonic cell-types and affects a variety of different CpG island sequences. This suggests that gene sequences can be recognized in the early embryo and imprinted with the correct methylation pattern through a combination of demethylation and de novo methylation.     

Mismatch repair genes identified using genetic screens in Blm-deficient embryonic stem cells

Phenotype-driven recessive genetic screens in diploid organisms require a strategy to render the mutation homozygous. Although homozygous mutant mice can be generated by breeding, a reliable method to make homozygous mutations in cultured cells has not been available, limiting recessive screens in culture. Cultured embryonic stem (ES) cells provide access to all of the genes required to elaborate the fundamental components and physiological systems of a mammalian cell. Here we have exploited the high rate of mitotic recombination in Bloom's syndrome protein (Blm)-deficient ES cells to generate a genome-wide library of homozygous mutant cells from heterozygous mutations induced with a revertible gene trap retrovirus. We have screened this library for cells with defects in DNA mismatch repair (MMR), a system that detects and repairs base-base mismatches. We demonstrate the recovery of cells with homozygous mutations in known and novel MMR genes. We identified Dnmt1(ref. 5) as a novel MMR gene and confirmed that Dnmt1-deficient ES cells exhibit micro-satellite instability, providing a mechanistic explanation for the role of Dnmt1 in cancer. The combination of insertional mutagenesis in Blm-deficient ES cells establishes a new approach for phenotype-based recessive genetic screens in ES cells.     

Serotonin1A receptor acts during development to establish normal anxiety-like behaviour in the adult

Serotonin is implicated in mood regulation, and drugs acting via the serotonergic system are effective in treating anxiety and depression. Specifically, agonists of the serotonin1A receptor have anxiolytic properties, and knockout mice lacking this receptor show increased anxiety-like behaviour. Here we use a tissue-specific, conditional rescue strategy to show that expression of the serotonin1A receptor primarily in the hippocampus and cortex, but not in the raphe nuclei, is sufficient to rescue the behavioural phenotype of the knockout mice. Furthermore, using the conditional nature of these transgenic mice, we suggest that receptor expression during the early postnatal period, but not in the adult, is necessary for this behavioural rescue. These findings show that postnatal developmental processes help to establish adult anxiety-like behaviour. In addition, the normal role of the serotonin1A receptor during development may be different from its function when this receptor is activated by therapeutic intervention in adulthood.     

Abnormal gonad development in Kit W-2Bao mice caused by a Kit gene missense mutation

Kit ^W-2Bao mice are single-gene autosomal dominant mutation mice with a B6 background that were bred in our laboratory. Heterozygotes had morphological characteristics including albinism of the abdomen, extremities, and tail, whereas the homozygotes had albinism of the body, black eyes, and infertility. The homozygous mutants showed small, structurally abnormal gonads, and lacked germ cells. Heterozygous male mice lacked germ cells in some contorted seminiferous tubules. This mutation has been mapped at 43.8 cM from the centromere in chromosome 5 by linkage analysis and Kit has been identified as the candidate gene. After Kit full-length mRNA amplification, it was found that a G to T conversion at position 1228 in the ORF changed the 410th amino acid from V to F. This amino acid change could affect the protein’s secondary structure. Heterozygous mutant mice were intercrossed and homozygous mutant mice were bred and genotyped. We found that no primordial germ cells (PGCs) appeared in the urogenital ridge area at fetus day 11.5 in the homozygotes. The number of PGCs also significantly decreased in heterozygotes. At fetus day 15.5, the differentiation of the testis tubule structure was unclear; as well, they contained no spermatogonia. Female homozygotes contained no primordial follicles in the ovary. The numbers of PGCs and primordial follicles were significantly decreased in heterozygous mice. W ^?2Bao is the only mutated site in the extracellular 4th Ig-like domain and this mutant mouse model provides new material for the study of the mechanism of reproductive system development.