Transcriptional repression and DNA hypermethylation of a small set of ES cell marker genes in male germline stem cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

We previously identified a set of genes called ECATs (ES cell-associated transcripts) that are expressed at high levels in mouse ES cells. Here, we examine the expression and DNA methylation of ECATs in somatic cells and germ cells.

Results

In all ECATs examined, the promoter region had low methylation levels in ES cells, but higher levels in somatic cells. In contrast, in spite of their lack of pluripotency, male germline stem (GS) cells expressed most ECATs and exhibited hypomethylation of ECAT promoter regions. We observed a similar hypomethylation of ECAT loci in adult testis and isolated sperm. Some ECATs were even less methylated in male germ cells than in ES cells. However, a few ECATs were not expressed in GS cells, and most of them targets of Oct3/4 and S

SUBMITTER: Imamura M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1564388 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature