Histone arginine methylation regulates pluripotency in the early mouse embryo.

ABSTRACT: It has been generally accepted that the mammalian embryo starts its development with all cells identical, and only when inside and outside cells form do differences between cells first emerge. However, recent findings show that cells in the mouse embryo can differ in their developmental fate and potency as early as the four-cell stage. These differences depend on the orientation and order of the cleavage divisions that generated them. Because epigenetic marks are suggested to be involved in sustaining pluripotency, we considered that such developmental properties might be achieved through epigenetic mechanisms. Here we show that modification of histone H3, through the methylation of specific arginine residues, is correlated with cell fate and potency. Levels of H3 methylation at specific a

SUBMITTER: Torres-Padilla ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3353120 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature