Increased apoptosis and skewed differentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells lacking the histone methyltransferase Mll2

Epigenetic regulation by histone methyltransferases provides transcriptional memory and inheritable propagation of gene expression patterns. Potentially, the transition from a pluripotent state to lineage commitment also includes epigenetic instructions. The histone 3 lysine 4 methyltransferase M112/Wbp7 is essential for embryonic development. Here, we used embryonic stem (ES) cell lines deficient for M112 to examine its function more accurately. M112-/- ES cells are viable and retain pluripotency, but they display cell proliferation defects due to an enhanced rate of apoptosis. Apoptosis was not relieved by caspase inhibition and correlated with decreased Bcl2 expression. Concordantly, M112 binds to the Bcl2 gene and H3K4me(3) levels are reduced at the binding site when M112 is absent. In vitro differentiation showed delays along representative pathways for all three germ layers. Although ectodermal delays were severe and mesodermal delays persisted at about three days, endodermal differentiation seemed to recover and overshoot, concomitant with prolonged Oct4 gene expression. Hence, M112 is not required for ES cell self-renewal or the complex changes in gene expression involved in lineage commitment, but it contributes to the coordination and timing of early differentiation decisions.