H3K9me3 Impedes Cell Fate Transition between 2C-Like and Pluripotent States [ChIP-seq]

A small subgroup of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exhibit molecular features similar to those of two-cell embryos (2C). Multiple chromatin modifiers associated with H3K9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) have been implicated in the mediation of the 2C-like transition. However, it remains elusive how H3K9me3 is remodeled and its association with totipotent cells. Here, we analyze the genome-wide change in H3K9me3 in 2C-like transitions. We revealed that a large fraction of trophoblast-stem-cell specific enhancers undergoes loss of H3K9me3 exclusively in MERVL+/Zscan4+ cells during 2C-like transitions. Embryo stem cells histone profiles and 2 cell like ESCs were generated by deep sequencing, using Illumina GAIIx.