Methylation of the Sox9 and Oct4 promoters and its correlation with gene expression during testicular development in the laboratory mouse

Sox9 and Oct4 are two important regulatory factors involved in mammalian development. Sox9, a member of the group E Sox transcription factor family, has a crucial role in the development of the genitourinary system, while Oct4, commonly known as octamer binding transcription factor 4, belongs to class V of the transcription family. The expression of these two proteins exhibits a dynamic pattern with regard to their expression sites and levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of de novo methylation in the regulation of the tissue- and site-specific expression of these proteins. The dynamics of the de novo methylation of 15 CpGs and six CpGs in Sox9 and Oct4 respectively, was studied with sodium bisulfite genomic DNA sequencing in mouse testis at different developmental stages. Consistent methylation of three CpGs was observed in adult ovary in which the expression of Sox9 was feeble, while the level of methylation in somatic tissue was greater in Oct4 compared to germinal tissue. The promoter-chromatin status of Sox9 was also studied with a chromatin immune-precipitation assay.