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. 2023 Oct;45(10):e2300069.
doi: 10.1002/bies.202300069. Epub 2023 Jul 7.

Epigenetic programming in the ovarian reserve

Mengwen Hu  1 , Richard M Schultz  2   3 , Satoshi H Namekawa  1
Affiliations

Epigenetic programming in the ovarian reserve

Mengwen Hu et al. Bioessays. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

The ovarian reserve defines female reproductive lifespan, which in humans spans decades. The ovarian reserve consists of oocytes residing in primordial follicles arrested in meiotic prophase I and is maintained independent of DNA replication and cell proliferation, thereby lacking stem cell-based maintenance. Largely unknown is how cellular states of the ovarian reserve are established and maintained for decades. Our recent study revealed that a distinct chromatin state is established during ovarian reserve formation in mice, uncovering a novel window of epigenetic programming in female germline development. We showed that an epigenetic regulator, Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1), establishes a repressive chromatin state in perinatal mouse oocytes that is essential for prophase I-arrested oocytes to form the ovarian reserve. Here we discuss the biological roles and mechanisms underlying epigenetic programming in ovarian reserve formation, highlighting current knowledge gaps and emerging research areas in female reproductive biology.

Keywords: Polycomb; epigenetic programming; epigenetic reprogramming; meiosis; oogenesis; ovarian reserve.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Scheme of female germline development. The developmental process of mouse germ cells is depicted (created with BioRender.com). Key events in epigenome reprogramming and/or programming are listed. DNA methylation levels and common histone modifications are represented with a graph. Blank regions and question marks show unexplored stages. PGC, primordial germ cells; NGO, non-growing oocyte; GO, growing oocyte; FGO, full-grown oocyte; MII, metaphase II.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Scheme of ovarian reserve formation. Key cellular events that occurred during the ovarian reserve formation are listed, and the proposed epigenetic programming and chromatin remodeling in the nucleus are depicted (created with BioRender.com). Question marks point out unresolved questions or unclear mechanisms.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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