Unique Patterns of H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in 2-Cell-like Embryonic Stem Cells
Yanping Zhang, Yixin Huang, Yu Dong, Xiaoyu Liu, Xiaochen Kou, Yanhong Zhao, Anqi Zhao, Jiatong Sun, Zhongqu Su, Zongyu Li, Huan Zhang, Yunwei Li, Shuyuan Cao, Junhao Wei, Jiqing Yin, Lan Kang, Yawei Gao, Jiayu Chen, Yixuan Wang, Chong Li, Rui Gao, Hong Wang, Shaorong Gao, Rongrong Le
Abstract
A small subgroup of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit molecular features similar to those of two-cell embryos (2C). However, it remains elusive whether 2C-like cells and 2C embryos share similar epigenetic features. Here, we map the genome-wide profiles of histone H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 in 2C-like cells. We found that the majority of genes in 2C-like cells inherit their histone status from ESCs. Among the genes showing a switch in their histone methylation status during 2C-like transitions, only a small number acquire 2C-embryo epigenetic signatures. In contrast, broad H3K4me3 domains display extensive loss in 2C-like cells. Most of the differentially expressed genes display decreased H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 levels in 2C-like cells, whereas de novo H3K4me3 deposition is closely linked with the expression levels of upregulated 2C-specific genes. Taken together, our study reveals the unique epigenetic profiles of 2C-like cells, facilitating the further exploration of totipotency in the future.