Dynamic patterns of histone H3 lysine 4 methyltransferases and demethylases during mouse preimplantation development

Extensive and dynamic chromatin remodeling occurs after fertilization, including DNA methylation and histone modifications. These changes underlie the transition from gametic to embryonic chromatin and are thought to facilitate early embryonic development. Histone H3 lysine 4 methylation (H3K4me) is an important epigenetic mechanism that associates with gene-specific activation and functions in development. However, dynamic regulation of H3K4me during early embryonic development remains unclear. Herein, the authors examined the dynamic changes of H3K4me and its key regulators (Ash1l, Ash2l, Kmt2a, Kmt2b, Kmt2c, Setd1a, Setd7, Kdm1a, Kdm1b, Kdm5a, Kdm5b, Kdm5c, and Kdm5d) in mouse oocytes and preimplantation embryos. An increase in levels of H3K4me2 and me3 was observed at the one- to two-cell stages (P < 0.05), corresponding to the period of embryonic genome activation (EGA). Subsequently, the H3K4me2 level dramatically decreased at the four-cell stage and remained at low level until the blastocyst stage (P < 0.05), whereas the H3K4me3 level transiently decreased in the four-cell embryos but steadily increased to the peak in the blastocysts (P < 0.05). The high level of H3K4me2 during the EGA was coinciding with a peak expression of its methyltransferase, ASH2L, which may stabilize this methylation level during this period. Correspondingly, a concomitant decrease in levels of its demethylases, KDM5B and KDM1A, was observed. H3K4me3 was correlated to the expression of its methyltransferase (KMT2B) and demethylase (KDM5A). Thus, these enzymes may function for the EGA and the first lineage segregation in preimplantation mouse embryos.