Decoding the transcriptome and DNA methylome of human primordial germ cells

作     者：HE Chuan 

作者机构：Department of Chemistry and Institute for Biophysical Dynamics The University of Chicago Howard Hughes Medical Institute 

出 版 物：《Science China(Life Sciences)》 (中国科学（生命科学英文版）)

年 卷 期：2015年第58卷第7期

页      面：729-730页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 07[理学] 071008[理学-发育生物学] 

主　　题：原始生殖细胞 DNA甲基化 人类 解码 录音 表观遗传 测序技术 全基因组 

摘      要：Primordial germ cells （PGCs） are the embryonic founder cells of the gametes--the oocytes and sperms that are vital for transmitting genetic information faithfully and efficiently from one generation to the next and for maintaining the continuation of a species [1]. It is therefore critical to understand the crucial epigenetic processes during the development of this most fascinating lineage. The develop- ment of PGCs in mouse as a model organism has been well understood, including their specification, migration, localization to genital ridges, global epigenetic reprogramming, and sex differentiation. However, the mechanistic understanding of gene expression pattern and epigenetic reprogramming in the human PGCs is still largely unknown due to the limited materials and suitable technology available for analysis. By using a single-cell RNA sequencing method and a modified whole-genome bisulfite sequencing technique for limited numbers of cells pioneered by Professor Fuchou Tang and others, Chinese scientists at Peking Uni- versity have analyzed the transcriptome of human PGCs at migrating and gonadal stages across 15 weeks at the single-cell level and single-base resolution in a recent Cell publication [2]. Their work provides the first comprehensive view of the complex relationship of DNA methylation and gene expression during the global epigenetic reprogramming process of human PGCs.