DNA methylation dynamics of the human pre-implantation embryo

We present genome-scale maps of DNA methylation in early human development and perform comparative analysis to mouse that confirm a conserved global erasure of the paternal genome. We find that while many global features of the early embryo are consistent between the two species, the target sequences in which DNA methylation is maintained are distinct. Repetitive elements show a broader range of class specific behaviors in the human embryo and a larger degree of methylation escape in human sperm. We identify thousands of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that are likely of maternal origin and found that these gamete contributed DMRs are far more species-specific than expected given the conservation of canonical imprint control regions (ICRs). Finally, we extended our studies to the derivation of new human embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines and found notable divergences in DNA methylation signatures from those found in the human embryo and different mouse ESC derivation conditions. Comparison of DNA methylation patterns in human early development, human ESC derivation and mouse ESC derivation