P-548 An investigation into the mechanisms of active enhancers regulating the initial lineage differentiation in mammals
Authors: Chen M 
Published: July 2024

Study question

What role do active enhancers play in determining the fate of early embryonic cells? Are there differences in active enhancers between mouse and human blastocysts?

Summary answer

Tissue-specific active enhancers in inner cell mass (ICM) and trophoblast (TE) are essential for blastocyst formation, regulating gene expression through interactive loops with promoters.

What is known already

At the two-cell stage of nuclear transfer embryos, the absence of interaction between Zscan4d promoter and distal active enhancer leads to reduced Zscan4d expression, resulting in lower developmental rates. Overexpressing the demethylase Kdm4d alleviates reprogramming-resistant H3K9me3 modification, restoring the structural loop between the Zscan4d promoter and active enhancer and enhancing developmental efficiency. These findings strongly suggest a close association between the formation of regulatory chromatin interactions in early embryonic development and histone modifications. Indicating active enhancers marked with H3K27ac may regulate differentiation gene expression through distal interactions in blastocyst.

Study design, size, duration

Analyze variations in histone H3K27ac modification, chromatin accessibility, higher-order structures, and transcriptomes during mouse embryo differentiation from 8-cell stage to ICM and TE formation. Identify tissue-specific active enhancers in ICM and TE, validate their gene expression regulation, explore their role in early differentiation-associated genes in mice. Compare and clarify similarities and differences in enhancer regulation mechanisms during early embryo development in humans and mice.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

The 8-cell, morula and blastocyst stage embryos were collected from the oviducts and uterus of super-ovulated female ICR mice mated with male mice. The clinical human blastocysts were collected and separated the ICM and TE. Low-input multi-omics sequencing, including Cut-Tag, ATAC-seq, Hi-C, and RNA-seq, was performed on the embryonic samples. After analyzing and identifying active enhancers, tissue-specific ones were selected and validated for their impact on gene expression via CRISPR-Cas9 knockout in embryos.

Main results and the role of chance

Inhibiting ep300 expression in mouse embryos through siRNA interference reduces blastocyst formation from 90% to approximately 40%. Introducing the small molecule inhibitor A485 at the 8-cell stage, blocking the active center of CBP/p300 enzymes, completely arrests embryos at the morula stage, preventing their development into blastocysts. Emphasizing the crucial role of correctly establishing active enhancers marked by H3K27ac modification in embryonic differentiation.

Multi-omics data demonstrates high repeatability and quality. PCA clustering analysis reveals a clear differentiation path in the distribution of H3K27ac-modified histones, chromatin accessibility sites, and the transcriptome from the 8-cell stage to the blastocyst. Differences in H3K27ac histone modification distribution between the ICM and TE indicate the presence of tissue-specific active enhancers in blastocyst.

The disparities in H3K27ac modification distribution between blastocyst ICM and TE primarily occur in distal gene regions rather than proximal ones. Moreover, these distal enhancers exhibit a positive correlation with the expression of lineage-specific genes, suggesting a probable regulatory role of distal enhancers in gene modulation during embryonic differentiation.

Tissue-specific enhancer-promoter (EP) interaction loops emerge during embryonic differentiation, allowing direct interaction between tissue-specific active enhancers and promoters, thereby activating the expression of tissue-specific genes.

Limitations, reasons for caution

While DNA sequences with H3K27ac modification are currently considered markers for active enhancers, H3K4me modification is another histone marker for enhancers. However, enhancers associated with H3K4me modification may not necessarily be in an activated state. Future research can simultaneously incorporate appropriate detection methods for H3K4me modification.

Wider implications of the findings

After elucidating the mechanisms through which active enhancers regulate mouse differentiation, comparing the differences in active enhancers during the first lineage differentiation process between mice and humans can help identify factors that enhance human blastocyst quality. This can potentially improve clinical outcomes in assisted reproduction.

Trial registration number

not applicable