Histone chaperone CAF-1 is essential for retrotransposon silencing by mediating histone H4K20me3 deposition in mouse preimplantation embryos

ABSTRACT: Retrotransposons are widely spread in the mammalian genome and are usually silenced during development to avoid transposition-inducing mutations. But how they are repressed in embryos shortly before implantation remain to be identified, since the genome at this stage is globally hypomethylated. Here we show a histone chaperon, CAF-1, is responsible for retrotransposon silencing at the morula-blastocyst stages by depositing histone H4 lysine 20 trimethylation (H4K20me3). Knockdown of CAF-1 with a specific siRNA resulted in derepression of LINE-1, SINE-B2 and IAP associated with the decreased H4K20me3 level, and arrested embryonic development at the morula stage. The identical results were obtained with siRNAs against Suv420h1/2, H4K20 methyltransferases. Treatment with reverse transcriptase

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

SUBMITTER: Kimiko Inoue 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-69260 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress