DNA_methylation_reprogramming_in_PGCs

This study focuses on epigenetic reprogramming in primordial germ cells (PGCs): DNA methylation marks are thought to be erased in a genome-wide manner between E11.5 and E13.5 in PGCs and subsequently re-established around E15.5 in the male germ line and after birth in the female germ line. Epigenetic reprogramming in PGCs is poorly understood mainly because of the technical challenges that arise from the very low number of PGCs in the embryo. We have adapted the genome-wide bisulfite sequencing technique (BS-Seq) for use with low cell numbers and combined these with high-throughput sequencing to create BS-Seq profiles for male and female PGCs at crucial time points during epigenetic reprogramming. By comparing these profiles we were able to describe the genome-wide changes in DNA methylation patterns in all sequence contexts at a single-gene level.