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DNA replication in the 1-cell mouse embryo: stimulatory effect of histone acetylation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 1999

Fugaku Aoki  and
Richard M. Schultz
Fugaku Aoki
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018, USA. Department of Animal Breeding, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113, Japan.
Richard M. Schultz
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6018, USA.
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Abstract

Temporal and spatial distribution of the sites of DNA replication were examined in 1-cell mouse embryos. Embryos were labelled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) at hourly intervals after fertilisation, and the incorporation of BrdU was examined by laser-scanning confocal microscopy following immunostaining with an anti-BrdU antibody. DNA replication first started uniformly in both the male and female pronuclei in the intranuclear region and then was observed in the peripheral regions of nucleus and nucleolus. These changes, however, occurred asynchronously in that the female pronucleus required a longer time to complete replication in the intranuclear region but not in the peripheral regions. Inhibiting transcription with α-amanitin had no effect on the temporal and spatial patterns of DNA replication. Treatment of the embryos with trapoxin, a specific inhibitor of histone deacetylase, accelerated the completion of replication in the peripheral regions but not in the intranuclear region. These results suggest that DNA replication is temporally and spatially regulated in the 1-cell embryos and that acetylation of histones, but not transcription, is involved in the regulation of DNA replication.

Keywords

DNA replicationHistone acetylationPronucleiTrapoxin
Type
Research Article
Information
Zygote , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , May 1999 , pp. 165 - 172
Copyright
1999 Cambridge University Press

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