Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
10
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-10-1
pubmed:abstractText
Nuclear transplantation experiments in amphibia and mammals have shown that oocyte and egg cytoplasm can extensively reprogram somatic cell nuclei with new patterns of gene expression and new pathways of cell differentiation; however, very little is known about the molecular mechanism of nuclear reprogramming. Here we have used nuclear and DNA transfer from mammalian somatic cells to analyse the mechanism of activation of the stem cell marker gene oct4 by Xenopus oocytes. We find that the removal of nuclear protein accelerates the rate of reprogramming, but even more important is the demethylation of somatic cell DNA. DNA demethylation seems to precede gene reprogramming, and is absolutely necessary for oct4 transcription. Reprogramming by oocytes occurs in the absence of DNA replication and RNA/protein synthesis. It is also selective, operating only on the promoter, but not enhancers, of oct4; both a putative Sp1/Sp3 and a GGGAGGG binding site are required for demethylation and transcription. We conclude that the demethylation of promoter DNA may be a necessary step in the epigenetic reprogramming of somatic cell nuclei.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
1465-7392
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
6
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
984-90
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
DNA demethylation is necessary for the epigenetic reprogramming of somatic cell nuclei.
pubmed:affiliation
Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute and Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QR, UK.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't