英国巴斯大学Anthony C.F. Perry等研究人员合作发现，人类胚胎基因组激活始于一细胞阶段。2021年12月21日，《细胞—干细胞》杂志在线发表了这项成果。

Title: Human embryonic genome activation initiates at the one-cell stage

Author: Maki Asami, Brian Y.H. Lam, Marcella K. Ma, Kara Rainbow, Stefanie Braun, Matthew D. VerMilyea, Giles S.H. Yeo, Anthony C.F. Perry

Issue&Volume: 2021-12-21

Abstract: In human embryos, the initiation of transcription (embryonic genome activation [EGA]) occurs by the eight-cell stage, but its exact timing and profile are unclear. To address this, we profiled gene expression at depth in human metaphase II oocytes and bipronuclear (2PN) one-cell embryos. High-resolution single-cell RNA sequencing revealed previously inaccessible oocyte-to-embryo gene expression changes. This confirmed transcript depletion following fertilization (maternal RNA degradation) but also uncovered low-magnitude upregulation of hundreds of spliced transcripts. Gene expression analysis predicted embryonic processes including cell-cycle progression and chromosome maintenance as well as transcriptional activators that included cancer-associated gene regulators. Transcription was disrupted in abnormal monopronuclear (1PN) and tripronuclear (3PN) one-cell embryos. These findings indicate that human embryonic transcription initiates at the one-cell stage, sooner than previously thought. The pattern of gene upregulation promises to illuminate processes involved at the onset of human development, with implications for epigenetic inheritance, stem-cell-derived embryos, and cancer.

DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.11.012

Source: https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(21)00484-7