Fiche publication
Date publication
août 2025
Journal
Nature communications
Auteurs
Membres identifiés du Cancéropôle Est :
Dr WEBER Mickaël
,
Dr OSMANI Naël
Tous les auteurs :
Bender A, Morel M, Dumas M, Klopfenstein M, Osmani N, Greenberg MVC, Bourc'his D, Ghyselinck NB, Weber M
Lien Pubmed
Résumé
In mammals, primordial germ cells (PGCs) undergo global erasure of DNA methylation with delayed demethylation of germline genes and selective retention of DNA methylation at evolutionarily young retrotransposons. However, the molecular mechanisms of persistent DNA methylation in PGCs remain unclear. Here we report that resistance to DNA methylation reprogramming in PGCs requires UHRF2, the paralog of the DNMT1 cofactor UHRF1. PGCs from Uhrf2 knock-out mice show loss of retrotransposon DNA methylation, while DNA methylation is unaffected in somatic cells. This is not associated with changes in the expression of retrotransposons in E13.5 PGCs, indicating that other mechanisms compensate for retrotransposon control at this stage. Furthermore, Uhrf2-deficient PGCs show precocious demethylation of germline genes and overexpress meiotic genes in females. Subsequently, Uhrf2-deficient mice show impaired oocyte development and female-specific reduced fertility, as well as incomplete remethylation of retrotransposons during spermatogenesis. These findings reveal a crucial function for the UHRF1 paralog UHRF2 in controlling DNA methylation in the germline.
Mots clés
Animals, DNA Methylation, genetics, Female, Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases, genetics, Germ Cells, metabolism, Male, Mice, Mice, Knockout, Retroelements, genetics, Oocytes, metabolism, Spermatogenesis, genetics, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Cellular Reprogramming, genetics, CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins, genetics
Référence
Nat Commun. 2025 08 9;16(1):7350
