Microtubules and parental genome organisation during abnormal fertilisation in humans

We analysed the distribution of beta-tubulins, acetylated alpha-tubulins and chromatin configuration in 113 human zygotes showing abnormal fertilisation, 16-18 h after conventional in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). After a first characterisation using phase contrast microscopy, immunofluorescence staining was performed in 67 IVF and 46 ICSI zygotes that developed one, three or more pronuclei and/or subnuclei, with or without extrusion of the second polar body. Independently of the number of pronuclei found, beta-tubulins were uniformly distributed throughout the cytoplasm of the abnormal zygotes. We did not observe any kind of microtubule alteration with respect of the ploidy level and/or its origin. The most frequent abnormal fertilisation pattern found after IVF was the presence of three or four pronuclei (74.6%). On the other hand, the presence of one pronucleus (63.0%) was the main pattern found after ICSI. No differences between the two groups were seen in terms of development of subnuclei. Anamolies detected after IVF and ICSI showed different aetiologies such as parthenogenetic activation, gynogenetic or androgenetic development, as well as digynic or diandric fertilisation.     

Hypomethylation of paternal DNA in the late mouse zygote is not essential for development

Global demethylation of DNA which marks the onset of development occurs asynchronously in the mouse; paternal DNA is demethylated at the the zygote stage, whereas maternal DNA is demethylated later in development. The biological function of such asymmetry and its underlying mechanisms are currently unknown. To test the hypothesis that the early demethylation of male DNA may be associated with protamine-histone exchange, we ,used round spermatids, whose DNA is still associated with histones, for artificial fertilization (round spermatid injection or ROSI), and compared the level of methylation of metaphase chromosomes in the resulting zygotes with the level of methylation in zygotes obtained after fertilization using mature sperm heads (intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI). In contrast to ICSI-derived zygotes, ROSI-derived zygotes possessed only slightly demethylated paternal DNA. Both types of zygotes developed to term with similar rates which shows that hypomethylation of paternal DNA at the zygotic metaphase is not essential for full development in mice. Incorporation of exogenously expressed histone H2BYFP into paternal pronuclei was significantly higher in ICSI-derived zygotes than in ROSI-derived zygotes. Surprisingly, in the latter the incorporation of histone H2BYFP into the paternal pronucleus was still significantly higher than into the maternal pronucleus, suggesting that some exchange of chromatin-associated proteins occurs not only after ICSI but also after ROSI. This may explain why after ROSI, some transient demethylation of paternal DNA occurs early after fertilization, thus providing support for the hypothesis regarding the link between paternal DNA demethylation and protamine/histone exchange.     

Sperm-derived histones contribute to zygotic chromatin in humans

Background

about 15% to 30% of the DNA in human sperm is packed in nucleosomes and transmission of this fraction to the embryo potentially serves as a mechanism to facilitate paternal epigenetic programs during embryonic development. However, hitherto it has not been established whether these nucleosomes are removed like the protamines or indeed contribute to paternal zygotic chromatin, thereby potentially contributing to the epigenome of the embryo.

Results

to clarify the fate of sperm-derived nucleosomes we have used the deposition characteristics of histone H3 variants from which follows that H3 replication variants present in zygotic paternal chromatin prior to S-phase originate from sperm. We have performed heterologous ICSI by injecting human sperm into mouse oocytes. Probing these zygotes with an antibody highly specific for the H3.1/H3.2 replication variants showed a clear signal in the decondensed human sperm chromatin prior to S-phase. In addition, staining of human multipronuclear zygotes also showed the H3.1/H3.2 replication variants in paternal chromatin prior to DNA replication.

Conclusion

these findings reveal that sperm-derived nucleosomal chromatin contributes to paternal zygotic chromatin, potentially serving as a template for replication, when epigenetic information can be copied. Hence, the execution of epigenetic programs originating from transmitted paternal chromatin during subsequent embryonic development is a logical consequence of this observation.     

Impaired active demethylation of the paternal genome in pronuclear‐stage rat zygotes produced by in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection

This study was designed to investigate the effect of in vitro production systems of rat zygotes such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on demethylation dynamics of the paternal genome. Immunostaining with anti‐5‐methylcytosine indicated that in vivo derived zygotes harvested at 20 hr post‐hCG injection had no active demethylation of paternal genomes as a mean relative methylation (RM) value, total fluorescence in the paternal genome divided by that in maternal one, at 1.17. Leaving zygotes in vivo or in culture for an additional 4 or 8 hr resulted in significant decreases of RM values to 0.14–0.31. Since in vitro‐derived zygotes were produced using oocytes harvested at 14 hr post‐hCG injection, zygotes at 6 hr after IVF or ICSI were considered developmentally comparable to the in vivo derived zygotes harvested at 20 hr post‐hCG injection, with RM values at 1.04 and 0.92, respectively. At 10 hr post‐IVF and ICSI, the RM values of the in vitro derived zygotes decreased significantly, but to a lesser extent compared with in vivo derived zygotes, to 0.53 and 0.62, respectively, without further decreases at 14 hr. Treatment of IVF‐derived zygotes with 5‐aza‐2′‐deoxycytidine (5‐azadC; an inhibitor for methylation) or trichostatin A (TSA; an inhibitor for deacetylation) resulted in the decreased RM values at 14 hr post‐IVF. However, developmental potential of the 5‐azadC‐ or TSA‐treated IVF zygotes up to the blastocyst stage was not improved. Thus, the demethylation dynamics of the paternal genome in pronuclear‐stage rat zygotes was impaired by routine protocols for in vitro embryo production such as IVF and ICSI. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 77: 69–75, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The absence of a DNA replication checkpoint in porcine zygotes

It has been demonstrated that in the zygotes of some mammals a unique checkpoint controls the onset of DNA replication. Thus, DNA replication begins in the maternal pronucleus only after the paternal pronucleus is fully formed. In our experiments we have investigated whether this checkpoint also operates in porcine zygotes produced either by in vitro fertilization (IVF) or by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Our results show that the onset of DNA replication occurs in the maternal pronucleus even in the presence of an intact sperm head in zygotes produced by ICSI, as well as in polyspermic eggs where some sperm heads are intact or male pronuclei are not yet fully developed. We conclude that in porcine zygotes there is an absence of the DNA replication checkpoint that is typical for some other mammals.     

Allele-specific histone lysine methylation marks regulatory regions at imprinted mouse genes

In different eukaryotic model systems, chromatin and gene expression are modulated by post-translational modification of histone tails. In this in vivo study, histone methylation and acetylation are investigated along the imprinted mouse genes Snrpn, Igf2r and U2af1-rs1. These imprinted genes all have a CpG-rich regulatory element at which methylation is present on the maternal allele, and originates from the female germ line. At these 'differentially methylated regions' (DMRs), histone H3 on the paternal allele has lysine-4 methylation and is acetylated. On the maternally inherited allele, in contrast, chromatin is marked by hypermethylation on lysine-9 of H3. Allele-specific patterns of lysine-4 and lysine-9 methylation are also detected at other regions of the imprinted loci. For the DMR at the U2af1-rs1 gene, we establish that the methyl-CpG-binding-domain (MBD) proteins MeCP2, MBD1 and MBD3 are associated with the maternal allele. These data support the hypothesis that MBD protein-associated histone deacetylase/chromatin-remodelling complexes are recruited to the parental allele that has methylated DNA and H3-K9 methylation, and are prevented from binding to the opposite allele by H3 lysine-4 methylation.     

Determination of the parental pronuclear origin in bovine zygotes: H3K9me3 versus H3K27me2-3

To study the dynamics of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in zygotes, the parental origin of the pronuclei needs to be determined. To this end the use of the asymmetric distribution of histone modifications in pronuclei is becoming more popular. Here, we demonstrated that histone 3 lysine 27 di-tri-methylation shows a stable pattern being present in the maternal but not in the paternal pronucleus of bovine zygotes, even in late stages of pronuclear development. In contrast, the pattern of histone 3 lysine 9 tri-methylation is very variable, and therefore cannot be used to reliably determine the parental origin of bovine pronuclei.     

Asymmetric histone 3 methylation pattern between paternal and maternal pronuclei in equine zygotes

Hoechst staining has traditionally been used to evaluate fertilization and parental origin of pronuclei. However, prevalence of parthenogenetic activation cannot be distinguished accurately by this protocol, and variation of relative pronuclear size and position makes it impossible to determine parental origin. We demonstrate that in equine zygotes, the epigenetic modification histone 3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) shows an asymmetric pattern between maternal and paternal pronuclei. H3K9me3 immunostaining appears to be a robust technique to identify the parent of origin of equine pronuclei; it can be used in combination with 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine immunostaining and applied to evaluate fertilization.     

Epigenetic modification of histone 3 at lysine 9 in sheep zygotes and its relationship with DNA methylation

Background  

Previous studies indicated that, unlike mouse zygotes, sheep zygotes lacked the paternal DNA demethylation event. Another epigenetic mark, histone modification, especially at lysine 9 of histone 3 (H3K9), has been suggested to be mechanically linked to DNA methylation. In mouse zygotes, the absence of methylated H3K9 from the paternal pronucleus has been thought to attribute to the paternal DNA demethylation.     

Epigenetic discrimination by mouse metaphase II oocytes mediates asymmetric chromatin remodeling independently of meiotic exit

In mammalian fertilization, paternal chromatin is exhaustively remodeled, yet the maternal contribution to this process is unknown. To address this, we prevented the induction of meiotic exit by spermatozoa and examined sperm chromatin remodeling in metaphase II (mII) oocytes. Methylation of paternal H3-K4 and H3-K9 remained low, unlike maternal H3, although paternal H3-K4 methylation increased in zygotes. Thus, mII cytoplasm can sustain epigenetic asymmetry in a cell-cycle dependent manner. Paternal genomic DNA underwent oocyte-mediated cytosine demethylation and acquired maternally-derived K12-acetylated H4 (AcH4-K12) independently of microtubule assembly and maternal chromatin. AcH4-K12 persisted without typical maturation-associated deacetylation, irrespective of paternal pan-genomic cytosine methylation. Contrastingly, somatic cell nuclei underwent rapid H4 deacetylation; sperm and somatic chromatin exhibited asymmetric AcH4-K12 dynamics simultaneously within the same mII oocyte. Inhibition of somatic histone deacetylation revealed endogenous histone acetyl transferase activity. Oocytes thus specify the histone acetylation status of given nuclei by differentially targeting histone deacetylase and acetyl transferase activities. Asymmetric H4 acetylation during and immediately after fertilization was dispensable for development when both parental chromatin sets were hyperacetylated. These studies delineate non-zygotic chromatin remodeling and suggest a powerful model with which to study de novo genomic reprogramming.     

Mouse zygotes with one diploid pronucleus formed as a result of ICSI can develop normally beyond birth

A mouse spermatozoon was injected into mouse secondary oocytes (ICSI) in the vicinity of the metaphase spindle. In 22% of oocytes injected successfully, the maternal chromatin (the haploid chromatids formed after the second meiotic division) and paternal chromatin (from the sperm nucleus) were surrounded by a common nuclear envelope to form one diploid bi-parental pronucleus. However, the use of spermatozoa in which BrdU had been incorporated into DNA during spermatogenesis revealed, that maternal and paternal chromatin occupied two separate compartments within the one pronucleus. In the living state, the diploid pronucleus could be distinguished from a haploid one by its distinctly larger size and by a greater number of "nucleolus-like bodies"-criteria confirmed karylogically at the 1st cleavage division. Such zygotes with one diploid pronucleus were able to develop in vitro into blastocysts as often as those with two haploid pronuclei [11/29 (38%) vs. 14/35 (40%)]. Seventy nine 2-cell embryos developing in vitro from zygotes with one diploid pronucleus were transplanted to the oviducts of pseudopregnant recipients: two females had six foetuses when killed on the 17th day, and two females gave birth to nine young, eight of which survived and developed into normal fertile animals.     

Maternal and paternal alleles exhibit differential histone methylation and acetylation at maize imprinted genes

Imprinting is an epigenetically controlled form of gene regulation in which the expression of a gene is based on its parent of origin. This epigenetic regulation is likely to involve allele-specific DNA or histone modifications. The relative abundance of eight different histone modifications was tested at various regions in several imprinted maize (Zea mays) genes using a chromatin immunoprecipitation protocol coupled with quantitative allele-specific single nucleotide polymorphism assays. Histone H3 lysine-27 di- and tri-methylation are paternally enriched at the imprinted loci Mez1, ZmFie1 and Nrp1. In contrast, acetylation of histones H3 and H4 and H3K4 dimethylation are enriched at the maternal alleles of these genes. Di- and tri-methylation of H3 lysine-9, which is generally associated with constitutively silenced chromatin, was not enriched at either allele of imprinted loci. These patterns of enrichment were specific to tissues that exhibit imprinting. In addition, the enrichment of these modifications was dependent upon the parental origin of an allele and not sequence differences between the alleles, as demonstrated by reciprocal crosses. This study presents a detailed view of the chromatin modifications that are associated with the maternal and paternal alleles at imprinted loci and provides evidence for common histone modifications at multiple imprinted loci.     

Comparison of histone modifications in in vivo and in vitro fertilization mouse embryos

Histone modifications are thought to play important roles in various cellular functions. In this article, the distribution patterns of acetylation on histone H4, methylation on histone H3 lysine 9, and phosphorylation on histone H3 serine 10 were examined in in vivo and in vitro fertilization (IVF) preimplantation mouse embryos by using indirect immunofluorescence and scanning confocal microscopy. We desired to know whether the IVF, which has been widely used as a routine assisted reproductive technology in animal and human, was safe at the epigenetic level. As results, we found that there was no difference in these histone modification patterns in in vivo and IVF mouse embryos from zygote to blastocyst stage. Moreover, these histone modifications had different distributions at all examined stages, but they were consistent with the mouse embryo developmental stages.     

Application of mass spectrometry to the identification and quantification of histone post-translational modifications

The core histones are the primary protein component of chromatin, which is responsible for the packaging of eukaryotic DNA. The NH(2)-terminal tail domains of the core histones are the sites of numerous post-translational modifications that have been shown to play an important role in the regulation of chromatin structure. In this study, we discuss the recent application of modern analytical techniques to the study of histone modifications. Through the use of mass spectrometry, a large number of new sites of histone modification have been identified, many of which reside outside of the NH(2)-terminal tail domains. In addition, techniques have been developed that allow mass spectrometry to be effective for the quantitation of histone post-translational modifications. Hence, the use of mass spectrometry promises to dramatically alter our view of histone post-translational modifications.     

Chromatin and microtubule morphology during the first cell cycle in bovine zygotes

Chromatin and microtubule configurations during the first cell cycle of bovine zygotes were analyzed by DNA staining and microtubule immunolocalization using an IVM/IVF system and oocytes matured and fertilized in vivo, in order to investigate the origin of the active centrosome and to characterize the nuclear and the cytoplasmic changes following bovine fertilization. Our results suggest that the paternal centrosome is active during early zygotic development, forming a conspicuous sperm aster soon after fertilization. We also report that polyspermy in bovine eggs, leads to the formation of numerous sperm asters with different degrees of association with the chromatin. The maternal structures in both monospermic and polyspermic zygotes can be lost or degenerate. Consequently, these cells may resume the first cell cycle as androgenotes, very often with several types of mitotic activity taking place in different regions of the cell cytoplasm at the same time. As indicated by a comparison of monospermic and polyspermic fertilization rates to rates of development, it is possible that some androgenetic embryos cleave and develop to the blastocyst stage. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Complete elimination of maternal mitochondrial DNA during meiosis resulting in the paternal inheritance of the mitochondrial genome in Chlamydomonas species

Summary. The non-Mendelian inheritance of organellar DNA is common in most plants and animals. In the isogamous green alga Chlamydomonas species, progeny inherit chloroplast genes from the maternal parent, as paternal chloroplast genes are selectively eliminated in young zygotes. Mitochondrial genes are inherited from the paternal parent. Analogically, maternal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is thought to be selectively eliminated. Nevertheless, it is unclear when this selective elimination occurs. Here, we examined the behaviors of maternal and paternal mtDNAs by various methods during the period between the beginning of zygote formation and zoospore formation. First, we observed the behavior of the organelle nucleoids of living cells by specifically staining DNA with the fluorochrome SYBR Green I and staining mitochondria with 3,3′-dihexyloxacarbocyanine iodide. We also examined the fate of mtDNA of male and female parental origin by real-time PCR, nested PCR with single zygotes, and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. The mtDNA of maternal origin was completely eliminated before the first cell nuclear division, probably just before mtDNA synthesis, during meiosis. Therefore, the progeny inherit the remaining paternal mtDNA. We suggest that the complete elimination of maternal mtDNA during meiosis is the primary cause of paternal mitochondrial inheritance. Correspondence and reprints: Laboratory of Cell and Functional Biology, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa 901-0213, Japan.