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Figure 7 | BMC Molecular Biology

Figure 7

From: Association of ATRX with pericentric heterochromatin and the Y chromosome of neonatal mouse spermatogonia

Figure 7

Model for the establishment of a transcriptionally repressive chromatin environment at centromeric heterochromatin and the Y chromosome in neonatal spermatogonia. The levels of CpG methylation previously observed at major and minor satellite sequences following genome reprogramming in fetal germ cells [2–4] are maintained within a centromeric heterochromatin environment lacking global methylation as determined by 5-mC staining [10]. Establishment of repressive histone and chromatin modifications such as H3K9me3 and ATRX are essential for the maintenance of a repressive chromatin configuration and might contribute to the mechanisms responsible for maintaining the transcriptional quiescence of potentially deleterious repetitive elements at tandem repeats. Histone methylation (H3K9me3) and association with chromatin remodeling proteins such as ATRX may precede the establishment of chromosomal 5-mC patterns as a mechanism to maintain a repressive chromatin environment at constitutive heterochromatin domains in neonatal spermatogonia. Although pericentric heterochromatin and the Y chromosome share similar chromatin marks, differences might exist on the mechanisms imposing these chromatin modifications as the Y chromosome lacks chromosomal 5-mC in both germ cells and somatic cells.

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