In:
Genes & Development, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Vol. 37, No. 7-8 ( 2023-04-01), p. 336-350
Abstract:
The majority of our genome is composed of repeated DNA sequences that assemble into heterochromatin, a highly compacted structure that constrains their mutational potential. How heterochromatin forms during development and how its structure is maintained are not fully understood. Here, we show that mouse heterochromatin phase-separates after fertilization, during the earliest stages of mammalian embryogenesis. Using high-resolution quantitative imaging and molecular biology approaches, we show that pericentromeric heterochromatin displays properties consistent with a liquid-like state at the two-cell stage, which change at the four-cell stage, when chromocenters mature and heterochromatin becomes silent. Disrupting the condensates results in altered transcript levels of pericentromeric heterochromatin, suggesting a functional role for phase separation in heterochromatin function. Thus, our work shows that mouse heterochromatin forms membrane-less compartments with biophysical properties that change during development and provides new insights into the self-organization of chromatin domains during mammalian embryogenesis.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0890-9369
,
1549-5477
DOI:
10.1101/gad.350353.122
Language:
English
Publisher:
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1467414-2
SSG:
12
Permalink