Maternal effect genes are transcribed in the oocyte and are essential for embryonic development. Few are known in mammals, but now Marisa Bartolomei and co-workers add Ctcf to this short list (see p. 2729). In vertebrates, CTCF regulates transcription at genomic loci by binding to enhancer and insulator sequences. In an earlier study into CTCF binding and activity at the maternally imprinted H19/Igf2 locus, the Bartolomei lab generated a transgenic mouse in which growing oocytes are specifically depleted of CTCF by RNAi. Using microarrays, they have now identified hundreds of genes that are misregulated in these CTCF-depleted oocytes. Most genes are downregulated; moreover, downregulated genes occur closer to CTCF-binding sites. Oocyte CTCF depletion, they report, delays not only meiosis onset but also the second, post-fertilisation division; it also perturbs zygotic genome activation, alters nuclear morphology and causes apoptotic early embryonic death. These abnormalities, further experiments show, are very likely to be a maternal effect caused by transcriptional, rather than chromatin, defects. Together, these findings reveal new and independent CTCF functions in oocyte and embryonic growth.
CTCF gets maternal
CTCF gets maternal. Development 15 August 2008; 135 (16): e1601. doi:
Download citation file:
Advertisement
Cited by
The Forest of Biologists

We are excited to announce the launch of The Forest of Biologists, a new biodiversity initiative created with support from the Woodland Trust, aiming to counteract nature loss and safeguard some of the most critically endangered ecosystems for future generations. Click here to see our virtual forest: For every Research Article and Review/Commentary article that is published in Development a native tree is planted in a forest in the UK.
Propose a new Workshop for 2025

Do you have an idea for a Workshop? We are now accepting proposals for our 2025 Biologists Workshops programme. As the scientific organiser, your involvement will be focused on the science. We'll take care of all the logistics. In 2025 we'll continue our efforts to diversify our Workshop programme and will be reserving one of our Workshops for an application from a Global South (GS) country to host an event overseas.
Pathway to Independence Programme - introducing our first PI Fellows

In December 2022, we announced a new programme aimed at supporting researchers as they transition from postdoc to Principal Investigator. We are delighted to announce that we have now selected our first cohort of PI fellows, meet them here.
Development Journal Meeting 2023
-DevMeeting.png?versionId=4838)
We are delighted to announce that our 2023 Journal Meeting ‘Unconventional and Emerging Experimental Organisms in Cell and Developmental Biology’ will be held from 17-20 September 2023 at Wotton House, Surrey, UK. Find out more and register here.
Call for papers: Metabolic and Nutritional Control of Development and Regeneration

We are welcoming submissions for our next special issue, which will focus on metabolic and nutritional control of development and regeneration. Submission deadline: 15 May 2023.