Changes in the Histone Acetylation Patterns during the Development of the Nervous System

Abstract

Epigenetic modification such as DNA methylation and histone acetylation plays essential roles in many aspects of cellular function and development of animals. There is an increasing amounts of evidence for dynamic changes in the histone acetylation of specific gene segments, but little attempt was made to examine global pattern changes in the histone acetylation in developing nervous system. In this study, we found that acetylated histone H3 and H4 immunoreactivities were relatively weak in neuroepithelial cells in the ventricular zone of developing rat cerebral cortex or chick spinal cord, compared to the immature young neurons in the cortical plate of a rat embryo or lateral motor column in chick spinal cord. On the other hand, adult neural stem cells in the dentate gyrus (DG) of rat hippocampal formation did not exhibit such diminished histone acetylation, compared to neuroblasts and mature DG neurons. These results suggest that the level of histone acetylation is highly dynamic and tightly linked to the neuronal types and the differentiation stages.

Global DNA Methylation and Histone Posttranslational Modifications in Human and Nonhuman Primate Brain in Association with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

“…Similarly, in dentate granule neurons of the developing mouse hippocampus, a methylation gradient correlates with the outside‐in pattern of neuronal maturation (Chen et al., ). Studies of rat and mouse brains have demonstrated associations between development and histone PTM changes (Cho et al., ; Hahn et al., ; Podobinska et al., ; Resendiz et al., ; Zhang et al., ). In order for stem cells to change from totipotency to pluripotency, active histone PTMs are present on gene promoters such as H3K27ac and H3K4me3.…”

“…H3K4me2 and histone acetylation levels increase during differentiation of mouse NPCs (Resendiz et al., ; Zhang et al., ). Compared to NPCs, mature mouse cortical neurons are enriched in histone acetylation marks (Cho et al., ). Corresponding to findings in developing rodent brains, regulatory processes are reflected in our developmental expression graphs.…”

Individual differences in cortical connections of somatosensory cortex are associated with parental rearing style in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster)

“…Given the tight temporal and spatial control of gene transcription that unfolds as development proceeds, it is not surprising that epigenetic mechanisms are involved in neuronal differentiation, migration, maturation, and circuit formation (Chittka, 2010; Cho et al, 2011; Fuentes et al, 2012; Golshani et al, 2005; Nott et al, 2013). The fact that epigenetic mechanisms also mediate environmental effects on the brain sheds light on why cortical development is particularly sensitive to environmental cues, such as the amount of tactile contact during critical periods.…”

Histones: Controlling Tumor Signaling Circuitry

“…Cho et al . demonstrated dynamic histone acetylation expression during neuronal differentiation, as evidenced by increased expression of histone 3 and histone 4 in the cortical plate from rat cerebral cortex (E17) and chick spinal cord (E7) and increased histone 3 in adult mouse dentate gyrus [116]. In the cardiac development system, the HATs p300 and CBP are coactivators that promote the physiological and pathological growth of cardiac myocytes.…”