biostudies-literatureUnknown7(1)Matsuura TThe Cys2/His2-type zinc finger protein Zfp296 has been implicated in stem cell pluripotency and tumor pathogenesis. However, its mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated that a Zfp296 deficiency in mice impairs germ-cell development and embryonic growth. Zfp296 was intracellularly localized to heterochromatin in embryos. A GST-Zfp296 pull-down experiment using ES cell nuclear extract followed by LC-MS/MS showed that Zfp296 interacts with component proteins of heterochromatin (such as HP1, Dnmt1, Dnmt3b, and ATRX) and the NuRD complex. We focused on H3K9 methylation as a hallmark of heterochromatin, and found that Zfp296 overexpression in cultured cells reduces the Suv39h1-mediated H3K9 methylation. Consistent with this finding, in Zfp296 ^-/- mouse embryos, we observed a Scientific reports12462https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC5622089biostudies-literatureZfp296 negatively regulates H3K9 methylation in embryonic development as a component of heterochromatin.PMC5622089Miyazaki JIMatsuura TTashiro FMiyazaki TMiyazaki SfalseZfp296 negatively regulates H3K9 methylation in embryonic development as a component of heterochromatin.The Cys2/His2-type zinc finger protein Zfp296 has been implicated in stem cell pluripotency and tumor pathogenesis. However, its mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrated that a Zfp296 deficiency in mice impairs germ-cell development and embryonic growth. Zfp296 was intracellularly localized to heterochromatin in embryos. A GST-Zfp296 pull-down experiment using ES cell nuclear extract followed by LC-MS/MS showed that Zfp296 interacts with component proteins of heterochromatin (such as HP1, Dnmt1, Dnmt3b, and ATRX) and the NuRD complex. We focused on H3K9 methylation as a hallmark of heterochromatin, and found that Zfp296 overexpression in cultured cells reduces the Suv39h1-mediated H3K9 methylation. Consistent with this finding, in Zfp296 ^-/- mouse embryos, we observed a 2017-01-01T00:00:00Z2017 Sep2026-05-05T21:21:31.423Z2019-03-27T02:57:52ZS-EPMC56220892896347210.1038/s41598-017-12772-y