NCBI Summary:
This gene belongs to the protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) family. The encoded enzyme catalyzes the methylation of guanidino nitrogens of arginyl residues of proteins. The enzyme acts specifically on histones and other chromatin-associated proteins and is involved in regulation of gene expression. The enzyme may act in association with other proteins or within multi-protein complexes and may play a role in cell type-specific functions and cell lineage specification. A related pseudogene is located on chromosome 9. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2013]
General function
Enzyme
Comment
Cellular localization
Cytoplasmic
Comment
Ovarian function
Early embryo development
Comment
CARM1 and Paraspeckles Regulate Pre-implantation Mouse Embryo Development. Hupalowska A et al. (2018) Nuclear architecture has never been carefully examined during early mammalian development at the stages leading to establishment of the embryonic and extra-embryonic lineages. Heterogeneous activity of the methyltransferase CARM1 during these stages results in differential methylation of histone H3R26 to modulate establishment of these two lineages. Here we show that CARM1 accumulates in nuclear granules at the 2- to 4-cell stage transition in the mouse embryo, with the majority corresponding to paraspeckles. The paraspeckle component Neat1 and its partner p54nrb are required for CARM1's association with paraspeckles and for H3R26 methylation. Conversely, CARM1 also influences paraspeckle organization. Depletion of Neat1 or p54nrb results in arrest at the 16- to 32-cell stage, with elevated expression of transcription factor Cdx2, promoting differentiation into the extra-embryonic lineage. This developmental arrest occurs at an earlier stage than following CARM1 depletion, indicating that paraspeckles act upstream of CARM1 but also have additional earlier roles in fate choice.//////////////////
Expression regulated by
Comment
Ovarian localization
Oocyte
Comment
Arginine Methyltransferases Mediate an Epigenetic Ovarian Response to Endometriosis. Baumann C et al. (2015) Endometriosis is associated with infertility and debilitating chronic pain. Abnormal epigenetic modifications in the human endometrium have recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of this condition. However, whether an altered epigenetic landscape contributes to pathological changes in the ovary is unknown. Using an established baboon endometriosis model, early and late stage epigenetic changes in the ovary were investigated. Transcript profiling of key chromatin modifying enzymes using pathway focused PCR arrays on ovarian tissue from healthy control animals and at 3 and 15 months of endometriosis revealed dramatic changes in gene expression in a disease duration-dependent manner. Ingenuity pathway analysis indicated that transcripts for chromatin-remodeling enzymes associated with reproductive system disease and cancer development were abnormally regulated, most prominently the arginine methyltransferases Carm1, Prmt2 and Prmt8. Down-regulation of CARM1 protein expression was also detected in the ovary, fully-grown oocytes and eutopic endometrium following 15 months of endometriosis. Sodium bisulfite sequencing revealed DNA hypermethylation within the Prmt8 promoter, suggesting that deregulated CpG methylation may play a role in transcriptional repression of this gene. These results demonstrate that endometriosis is associated with changes of epigenetic profiles in the primate ovary and suggest that arginine methyltransferases play a prominent role in mediating the ovarian response to endometriosis. Due to the critical role of CARM1 in nuclear receptor mediated transcription and maintenance of pluripotency in the cleavage stage embryo, our results suggest that epigenetic alterations in the ovary may have functional consequences for oocyte quality and the etiology of infertility associated with endometriosis.//////////////////