ROLE OF THE BOVINE PRAMEY PROTEIN IN EARLY EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING

This proposal addressess the reproductive process of early embryonic development by studying a bovid-specific Y-linked gene, named PRAMEY. The goal of this study is to determine how PRAMEY is involved in early embryonic development through epigenetic reprogramming. We hypothesize that PRAMEY functions in early embryonic development via epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA and histone methylation remodeling. We will test our hypothesis by pursuing the following two objectives: 1) determine if inhibition of the PRAMEY protein during fertilization modifies global DNA and histone methylation profiles during early embryonic development, and 2) determine whether down-regulation of PRAMEY proteins alters CDKN1A gene expression in preimplantation embryos. This project is innovative and significant to the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying early embryonic development in cattle and other mammalian species, including humans.