Epigenome profiling and editing of neocortical progenitor cells during development

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Mareike Albert - , Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Nereo Kalebic - (Author)
  • Marta Florio - (Author)
  • Naharajan Lakshmanaperumal - (Author)
  • Christiane Haffner - (Author)
  • Holger Brandl - (Author)
  • Ian Henry - (Author)
  • Wieland B Huttner - (Author)

Abstract

The generation of neocortical neurons from neural progenitor cells (NPCs) is primarily controlled by transcription factors binding to DNA in the context of chromatin. To understand the complex layer of regulation that orchestrates different NPC types from the same DNA sequence, epigenome maps with cell type resolution are required. Here, we present genomewide histone methylation maps for distinct neural cell populations in the developing mouse neocortex. Using different chromatin features, we identify potential novel regulators of cortical NPCs. Moreover, we identify extensive H3K27me3 changes between NPC subtypes coinciding with major developmental and cell biological transitions. Interestingly, we detect dynamic H3K27me3 changes on promoters of several crucial transcription factors, including the basal progenitor regulator Eomes. We use catalytically inactive Cas9 fused with the histone methyltransferase Ezh2 to edit H3K27me3 at the Eomes locus in vivo, which results in reduced Tbr2 expression and lower basal progenitor abundance, underscoring the relevance of dynamic H3K27me3 changes during neocortex development. Taken together, we provide a rich resource of neocortical histone methylation data and outline an approach to investigate its contribution to the regulation of selected genes during neocortical development.

Details

Original languageEnglish
JournalThe EMBO journal
Volume36
Issue number17
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2017
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85026519476

Keywords

Library keywords