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Review
. 2025 Jun 28;163(1):70.
doi: 10.1007/s00418-025-02398-x.

A comprehensive review of histone modifications during mammalian oogenesis and early embryo development

Nazlican Bozdemir  1 , Tuba Kablan  1 , Efe Biyikli  1 , Ozgur Cinar  2 , Fatma Uysal  3
Affiliations
Review

A comprehensive review of histone modifications during mammalian oogenesis and early embryo development

Nazlican Bozdemir et al. Histochem Cell Biol. .

Abstract

The success of both oogenesis and early embryo development relies heavily on dynamic epigenetic regulation in which gene activity changes without affecting the underlying DNA sequence. Epigenetics works through two main mechanisms: DNA methylation and histone modifications. DNA methylation typically leads to gene silencing, while histone modifications can either activate or repress genes depending on the specific modification, histone type, and targeted amino acid residue. Histone modifications affect important DNA regulatory processes in which the histone core area as well as the N-terminal tails that extend from the core region are vulnerable to a variety of posttranslational modifications (PTMs), including methylation, citrullination (deimination), acetylation, phosphorylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation, ribosylation, and lactylation. This review article focuses on what is known about changes in the histone modifications and how these modifications and their responsible enzymes operate throughout mammalian oocyte maturation and early embryo development, highlighting their crucial roles in these processes.

Keywords: Early embryo development; Epigenetics; Histone modifications; Oogenesis; Preimplantation embryos.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflıct of interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: Not applicable.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Representation of histone modifications. a Histone methylation, ubiquitination and phosphorylation. Histone methylation is established through histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and removed through histone demethylases (KDMs). Ubiquitination is established through E1, E2, and E3 ligase, while deubiquination is established through deubiquitinase (DUBs). Histone phosphorylation is maintained through kinases and phosphatases. b Histone ribosylation, SUMOylation, and citrullination. Histone ribosylation is maintained through ADP ribosyl transferase enzymes (ARTs) and polyribosylation is established through poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase I (PARP1). Histone SUMOylation is established through E1, E2, and E3 enzymes while histone citrullination is regulated by protein arginine deiminases (PADs)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Dynamic pattern of histone methylation, histone methyltransferases, and demethylases during mouse oogenesis and early embryo development. a Relative level of histone methylation throughout oogenesis and early embryo development. b Relative expression of histone methytransferases throughout oogenesis and early embryo development. c Relative expression of histone demethylases throughout oogenesis and early embryo development. Dashed line indicates not available. GV germinal vesicle, MI metaphase I, MII metaphase II, 1C one-cell stage, 2C two-cell stage, 4C four-cell stage, 8C eight-cell stage, M morula stage, B blastocyst
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Expression pattern of a ubiquitination and deubiquitination enzymes, b phosphorylation, and c citrullination and responsible enzymes during mouse oogenesis. Dashed line indicates not available. GV germinal vesicle, MI metaphase I, MII metaphase II
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