Author/Authors :
Chun Lan Jiang، نويسنده , , Jing Zhang، نويسنده , , Jing-Jing Wang، نويسنده , , Lu Wang، نويسنده , , Li Zhang، نويسنده , , Guoqiang Li، نويسنده , , Xiaodan Yang، نويسنده , , Xin Ma، نويسنده , , Xin Sun، نويسنده , , Jun Cai، نويسنده , , Jun Zhang، نويسنده , , Xingxu Huang، نويسنده , , Miao Yu، نويسنده , , Xuegeng Wang، نويسنده , , Feng Liu، نويسنده , , Chung-I Wu، نويسنده , , Chuan He، نويسنده , , Bo Zhang، نويسنده , , Weimin Ci، نويسنده , , Jiang Liu، نويسنده , , et al.، نويسنده ,
Abstract :
5-methylcytosine is a major epigenetic modification that is sometimes called “the fifth nucleotide.” However, our knowledge of how offspring inherit the DNA methylome from parents is limited. We generated nine single-base resolution DNA methylomes, including zebrafish gametes and early embryos. The oocyte methylome is significantly hypomethylated compared to sperm. Strikingly, the paternal DNA methylation pattern is maintained throughout early embryogenesis. The maternal DNA methylation pattern is maintained until the 16-cell stage. Then, the oocyte methylome is gradually discarded through cell division and is progressively reprogrammed to a pattern similar to that of the sperm methylome. The passive demethylation rate and the de novo methylation rate are similar in the maternal DNA. By the midblastula stage, the embryo’s methylome is virtually identical to the sperm methylome. Moreover, inheritance of the sperm methylome facilitates the epigenetic regulation of embryogenesis. Therefore, besides DNA sequences, sperm DNA methylome is also inherited in zebrafish early embryos.
