Abstract
The gene dosage at the imprinted Dlk1-Dio3 locus is critical for cell growth and development. A relatively high gene expression within the Dlk1-Dio3 region, especially the active expression of Gtl2, has been identified as the only reliable marker for cell pluripotency. The DNA methylation state of the IG-DNA methylated regions (DMR), which is located upstream of the Gtl2 gene, dominantly contributes to the control of gene expression in the Dlk1-Dio3 locus. However, the precise mechanism underlying the regulation of DNA methylation in the IG-DMR remains largely unknown. Here, we use the F9 embryonal carcinoma cell line, a low pluripotent cell model, to identify the mechanism responsible for DNA methylation in the IG-DMR, and find that the interaction of PGC7 with UHRF1 is involved in maintaining DNA methylation and inducing DNA hypermethylation in the IG-DMR region. PGC7 and UHRF1 cooperatively bind in the IG-DMR to regulate the methylation of DNA and histones in this imprinted region. PGC7 promotes the recruitment of DNMT1 by UHRF1 to maintain DNA methylation in the IG-DMR locus. The interaction between PGC7 and UHRF1 strengthens their binding to H3K9me3 and leads to further enrichment of H3K9me3 in the IG-DMR by recruiting the specific histone methyltransferase SETDB1. Consequently, the abundance of H3K9me3 promotes DNMT3A to bind to the IG-DMR and increases DNA methylation level in this region. In summary, we propose a new mechanism of DNA methylation regulation in the IG-DMR locus and provide further insight into the understanding of the difference in Gtl2 expression levels between high and low pluripotent cells.