Stem Cells - SMi's second annual conference: achieving success in science and commercialisation.

SMi's second annual Stem Cells conference, held in London, included topics covering research developments in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. This conference report highlights selected presentations on big pharma's perspective on the field, stem cell-based therapies for chronic liver disease and age-related macular degeneration, and strategies to gain approval for the conduct of clinical trials involving stem cells. Investigational drugs discussed include GRNOPC-1 (Geron Corp).

Transcription is required for establishment of germline methylation marks at imprinted genes.

Genomic imprinting requires the differential marking by DNA methylation of genes in male and female gametes. In the female germline, acquisition of methylation imprint marks depends upon the de novo methyltransferase Dnmt3a and its cofactor Dnmt3L, but the reasons why specific sequences are targets for Dnmt3a and Dnmt3L are still poorly understood. Here, we investigate the role of transcription in establishing maternal germline methylation marks. We show that at the Gnas locus, truncating transcripts from the furthest upstream Nesp promoter disrupts oocyte-derived methylation of the differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Transcription through DMRs in oocytes is not restricted to this locus but occurs across the prospective DMRs at many other maternally marked imprinted domains, suggesting a common requirement for transcription events. The transcripts implicated here in gametic methylation are protein-coding, in contrast to the noncoding antisense transcripts involved in the monoallelic silencing of imprinted genes in somatic tissues, although they often initiate from alternative promoters in oocytes. We propose that transcription is a third essential component of the de novo methylation system, which includes optimal CpG spacing and histone modifications, and may be required to create or maintain open chromatin domains to allow the methylation complex access to its preferred targets.

Epigenetic restriction of embryonic cell lineage fate by methylation of Elf5.

Mouse ES cells can differentiate into all three germ layers of the embryo but are generally excluded from the trophoblast lineage. Here we show that ES cells deficient in DNA methylation can differentiate efficiently into trophoblast derivatives. In a genome-wide screen we identified the transcription factor Elf5 as methylated and repressed in ES cells, and hypomethylated and expressed in TS and methylation-deficient ES cells. Elf5 creates a positive-feedback loop with the TS cell determinants Cdx2 and Eomes that is restricted to the trophoblast lineage by epigenetic regulation of Elf5. Importantly, the late-acting function of Elf5 allows initial plasticity and regulation in the early blastocyst. Thus, Elf5 functions as a gatekeeper, downstream of initial lineage determination, to reinforce commitment to the trophoblast lineage or to abort this pathway in epiblast cells. This epigenetic restriction of cell lineage fate provides a molecular mechanism for Waddington's concept of canalization of developmental pathways.

Coordinate regulation of DNA methyltransferase expression during oogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Normal mammalian development requires the action of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) for the establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation within repeat elements and imprinted genes. Here we report the expression dynamics of Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b, as well as a regulator of DNA methylation, Dnmt3L, in isolated female germ cells. RESULTS: Our results indicate that these enzymes are coordinately regulated and that their expression peaks during the stage of postnatal oocyte development when maternal methylation imprints are established. We find that Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b, Dnmt3L and Dnmt1o transcript accumulation is related to oocyte diameter. Furthermore, DNMT3L deficient 15 dpp oocytes have aberrantly methylated Snrpn, Peg3 and Igf2r DMRs, but normal IAP and LINE-1 methylation levels, thereby highlighting a male germ cell specific role for DNMT3L in the establishment of DNA methylation at repeat elements. Finally, real-time RT-PCR analysis indicates that the depletion of either DNMT3L or DNMT1o in growing oocytes results in the increased expression of the de novo methyltransferase Dnmt3b, suggesting a potential compensation mechanism by this enzyme for the loss of one of the other DNA methyltransferases. CONCLUSION: Together these results provide a better understanding of the developmental regulation of Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b and Dnmt3L at the time of de novo methylation during oogenesis and demonstrate that the involvement of DNMT3L in retrotransposon silencing is restricted to the male germ line. This in turn suggests the existence of other factors in the oocyte that direct DNA methylation to transposons.

Bovine SNRPN methylation imprint in oocytes and day 17 in vitro-produced and somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos.

Findings from recent studies have suggested that the low survival rate of animals derived via somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) may be in part due to epigenetic abnormalities brought about by this procedure. DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification of DNA that is implicated in the regulation of imprinted genes. Genes subject to genomic imprinting are expressed monoallelically in a parent of origin-dependent manner and are important for embryo growth, placental function, and neurobehavioral processes. The vast majority of imprinted genes have been studied in mice and humans. Herein, our objectives were to characterize the bovine SNRPN gene in gametes and to compare its methylation profile in in vivo-produced, in vitro-produced, and SCNT-derived Day 17 elongating embryos. A CpG island within the 5' region of SNRPN was identified and examined using bisulfite sequencing. SNRPN alleles were unmethylated in sperm, methylated in oocytes, and approximately 50% methylated in somatic samples. The examined SNRPN region appeared for the most part to be normally methylated in three in vivo-produced Day 17 embryos and in eight in vitro-produced Day 17 embryos examined, while alleles from Day 17 SCNT embryos were severely hypomethylated in seven of eight embryos. In this study, we showed that the SNRPN methylation profiles previously observed in mouse and human studies are also conserved in cattle. Moreover, SCNT-derived Day 17 elongating embryos were abnormally hypomethylated compared with in vivo-produced and in vitro-produced embryos, which in turn suggests that SCNT may lead to faulty reprogramming or maintenance of methylation imprints at this locus.

DNA methylation in mammalian development and disease.

Epigenetic modification of the cytosine base of DNA by its methylation introduced the possibility that beyond the inherent information contained within the nucleotide sequence there was an additional layer of information added to the underlying genetic code. DNA methylation has been implicated in a wide range of biological functions, including an essential developmental role in the reprogramming of germ cells and early embryos, the repression of endogenous retrotransposons, and a generalized role in gene expression. Special functions of DNA methylation include the marking of one of the parental alleles of many imprinted genes, a group of genes essential for growth and development in mammals with a unique parent-of-origin expression pattern, a role in stabilizing X-chromosome inactivation, and centromere function. In this regard, it is not surprising that errors in establishing or maintaining patterns of methylation are associated with a diverse group of human diseases and syndromes.

Potential significance of genomic imprinting defects for reproduction and assisted reproductive technology.

Recent studies suggest a possible link between human assisted reproductive technology and genomic imprinting disorders. Assisted reproductive technology includes the isolation, handling and culture of gametes and early embryos at times when imprinted genes are likely to be particularly vulnerable to external influences. Evidence of sex-specific differences in imprint acquisition suggests that male and female germ cells may be susceptible to perturbations in imprinted genes at specific prenatal and postnatal stages. Imprints acquired first during gametogenesis must be maintained during preimplantation development when reprogramming of the overall genome occurs. In this review, we will discuss both new developments in our understanding of genomic imprinting including the mechanisms and timing of imprint erasure, acquisition and maintenance during germ cell development and early embryogenesis as well as the implications of this research for future epigenetic studies in reproduction and assisted reproductive technology.

Gene-specific timing and epigenetic memory in oocyte imprinting.

Imprinted genes are differentially marked during germ cell development to allow for their eventual parent-of-origin specific expression. A subset of imprinted genes becomes methylated during oocyte growth in both mouse and human. However the timing and mechanisms of methylation acquisition are unknown. Here, we examined the methylation of the Snrpn, Igf2r, Peg1 and Peg3 differentially methylated regions in postnatal growing mouse oocytes. Our findings indicate that methylation was acquired asynchronously at these different genes. Further analysis of Snrpn DMR1 revealed that parental alleles retain an epigenetic memory of their origin as the two alleles were recognized in a parental-specific manner in the absence of DNA methylation. In addition, we show that methylation acquisition was probably related to oocyte diameter and coincided with the accumulation of Dnmt3a, Dnmt3b and Dnmt3L transcripts. Methylation of the repetitive retroviral-like intracisternal A particle also occurred during this same window of oocyte growth. These findings contribute to our understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms underlying imprint acquisition during female germ cell development and have implications for the practice of assisted reproductive technologies.

Rare congenital disorders, imprinted genes, and assisted reproductive technology.

CONTEXT: During the past two decades, assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) have revolutionised the treatment of infertility. ARTs now account for between 1% and 3% of annual births in many western countries and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) services are growing worldwide. In general, the incidence of abnormalities at birth is reassuringly low and children develop normally. Nevertheless, it is important to monitor the safety of ARTs as clinical protocols evolve and new technologies emerge. STARTING POINT: Three recent studies all report an unexpectedly high incidence of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) in children conceived with ARTs. Six of 149 cases were reported from a British BWS registry (J Med Genet 2003; 40: 62-64); the same numbers were recorded in a French registry (Am J Hum Genet 2003; 72: 1338-41), and a further seven children have been reported in the USA (Am J Hum Genet 2003; 72: 156-60). These frequencies are extraordinarily high for such a rare congenital condition and such findings are reminiscent of reports of sporadic cases of the imprinting disorder, Angelman syndrome, which has also been linked with ARTs. WHERE NEXT? Continuing surveillance of children conceived with ARTs is needed, including monitoring birth defects, development, and cancer. Studies will need to be prospective and multicentre, and should include molecular characterisation of epigenetic abnormalities, including the methylation status of imprinting control regions within imprinted gene clusters.

Methylation dynamics of imprinted genes in mouse germ cells.

DNA methylation differences between maternal and paternal alleles of many imprinted genes are inherited from the male and female gametes and subsequently maintained during development. However, the stages of gametogenesis during which methylation imprints are established have not been well defined. In this study, we used bisulfite sequencing to determine the methylation dynamics of the imprinted genes small nuclear ribonucleoprotein N (Snrpn), insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor (Igf2r), mesoderm-specific transcript (Mest; formerly Peg1), paternally expressed gene 3 (Peg3), and H19 fetal liver mRNA (H19). We identified regions in the maternally imprinted genes (Snrpn, Mest, and Peg3) that were unmethylated in sperm but 100% methylated in mature oocytes. Igf2r, which is expressed from the maternal allele, was completely methylated within intronic differentially methylated region 2 in oocytes and unmethylated in sperm. The 5' region of H19, a paternally imprinted gene, was completely methylated in sperm and unmethylated in oocytes. We examined the methylation status of Snrpn during oocyte growth and maturation. Whereas the DNA of non-growing oocytes was mostly unmethylated, mid-size growing oocytes had a mosaic pattern of allelic methylation, and full acquisition of the methylation imprint was complete by metaphase II. We have identified regions within imprinted genes that show gamete-specific methylation patterns in mature germ cells and demonstrated that maternal methylation imprints on at least one imprinted gene, Snrpn, are established during the postnatal growth phase of oogenesis. Thus, whereas paternal imprints seem to be established early (in diploid gonocytes well before the onset of meiosis), maternal imprints are established late (in growing oocytes that are arrested in the diplotene stage of meiosis). These findings raise the possibility that assisted reproductive technologies that involve in vitro maturation of oocytes may result in developmental abnormalities due to incomplete methylation imprints in immature oocytes.