Zfp281 is essential for epiblast maturation through a cell-autonomous effect

ETV4 and ETV5 Orchestrate FGF-Mediated Lineage Specification and Epiblast Maturation during Early Mouse Development

Cell fate decisions in early mammalian embryos are tightly regulated processes crucial for proper development. While FGF signaling plays key roles in early embryo patterning, its downstream effectors remain poorly understood. Our study demonstrates that the transcription factors Etv4 and Etv5 are critical mediators of FGF signaling in cell lineage specification and maturation in mouse embryos. We show that loss of Etv5 compromises primitive endoderm formation at pre-implantation stages. Furthermore, Etv4/5 deficiency delays naïve pluripotency exit and epiblast maturation, leading to elevated NANOG and reduced OTX2 expression within the blastocyst epiblast. As a consequence of delayed pluripotency progression, Etv4/5 deficient embryos exhibit anterior visceral endoderm migration defects post-implantation, a process essential for coordinated embryonic patterning and gastrulation initiation. Our results demonstrate the successive roles of these FGF signaling effectors in early lineage specification and embryonic body plan establishment, providing new insights into the molecular control of mammalian development.

ZFP281 controls transcriptional and epigenetic changes promoting mouse pluripotent state transitions via DNMT3 and TET1

The progression from naive through formative to primed in vitro pluripotent stem cell states recapitulates epiblast development in vivo during the peri-implantation period of mouse embryo development. Activation of the de novo DNA methyltransferases and reorganization of transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes are key events that occur during these pluripotent state transitions. However, the upstream regulators that coordinate these events are relatively underexplored. Here, using Zfp281 knockout mouse and degron knockin cell models, we identify the direct transcriptional activation of Dnmt3a/3b by ZFP281 in pluripotent stem cells. Chromatin co-occupancy of ZFP281 and DNA hydroxylase TET1, which is dependent on the formation of R-loops in ZFP281-targeted gene promoters, undergoes a "high-low-high" bimodal pattern regulating dynamic DNA methylation and gene expression during the naive-formative-primed transitions. ZFP281 also safeguards DNA methylation in maintaining primed pluripotency. Our study demonstrates a previously unappreciated role for ZFP281 in coordinating DNMT3A/3B and TET1 functions to promote pluripotent state transitions.

ZFP281 coordinates DNMT3 and TET1 for transcriptional and epigenetic control in pluripotent state transitions

The progression from naive through formative to primed in vitro pluripotent stem cell states recapitulates the development of the epiblast in vivo during the peri-implantation period of mammalian development. Activation of the de novo DNA methyltransferases and reorganization of transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes are key events occurring during these pluripotent state transitions. However, the upstream regulators that coordinate these events are relatively underexplored. Here, using Zfp281 knockout mouse and degron knock-in cell models, we uncover the direct transcriptional activation of Dnmt3a/3b by ZFP281 in pluripotent stem cells. Chromatin co-occupancy of ZFP281 and DNA hydroxylase TET1, dependent on the formation of R loops in ZFP281-targeted gene promoters, undergoes a "high-low-high" bimodal pattern regulating dynamic DNA methylation and gene expression during the naïive-formative-primed transitions. ZFP281 also safeguards DNA methylation in maintaining primed pluripotency. Our study demonstrates a previously unappreciated role for ZFP281 in coordinating DNMT3A/3B and TET1 functions to promote pluripotent state transitions.