Parental epigenomes are drastically modified shortly after fertilization. These modifications include remodeling of the histone landscape and global changes in histone post-translational modifications and DNA methylation. The reprogramming is vital and carefully regulated rather than a radical purge of germ-cell inherited epigenomes. TRIM28 and its binding partners have been shown to regionally oppose global reprogramming to preserve vital methylation marks, yet the DNA binding factors guiding this complex to specific targets are largely unknown. Here we uncover a novel, maternally expressed KRAB Zinc finger protein (ZFP708), which interacts with TRIM28 to ensure target-specific inheritance of DNA methylation from germline to soma.
Ecco G, Imbeault M, Trono D. 2017. KRAB zinc finger proteins. Development 144: 2719–2729.
Quenneville S, Turelli P, Bojkowska K, Raclot C, Offner S, Kapopoulou A, Trono D. 2012. The KRAB-ZFP/KAP1 System Contributes to the Early Embryonic Establishment of Site-Specific DNA Methylation Patterns Maintained during Development. Cell Reports 2: 766–773.
Messerschmidt DM, de Vries W, Ito M, Solter D, Ferguson-Smith A, Knowles BB. 2012. Trim28 is required for epigenetic stability during mouse oocyte to embryo transition. Science 335: 1499–1502.
Messerschmidt DM, Knowles BB, Solter D. 2014. DNA methylation dynamics during epigenetic reprogramming in the germline and preimplantation embryos. Genes Dev 28: 812–828.
Hirasawa R, Chiba H, Kaneda M, Tajima S, Li E, Jaenisch R, Sasaki H. 2008. Maternal and zygotic Dnmt1 are necessary and sufficient for the maintenance of DNA methylation imprints during preimplantation development. Genes Dev 22: 1607–1616.
Yang P, Wang Y, Hoang D, Tinkham M, Patel A, Sun M-A, Wolf G, Baker M, Chien H-C, Lai K-YN, et al. 2017. A placental growth factor is silenced in mouse embryos by the zinc finger protein ZFP568. Science 356: 757–759