The gene expression pattern of differentiated oocytes is reprogrammed into that 
of totipotent preimplantation embryos before and/or after fertilization. To 
elucidate the mechanisms of genome reprogramming, we investigated histone H3 
lysine 79 dimethylation (H3K79me2) and trimethylation (H3K79me3) in oocytes and 
preimplantation embryos via immunocytochemistry. In somatic cells and oocytes, 
H3K79me2 was observed throughout the genome, whereas H3K79me3 was localized in 
the pericentromeric heterochromatin regions in which there are no active genes. 
Because H3K79me2 is considered an active gene marker, H3K79 methylation seems to 
have differing functions depending on the number of methyl groups added on the 
same residues. Both H3K79me2 and H3K79me3 decreased soon after fertilization, 
and the hypomethylated state was maintained at interphase (before the blastocyst 
stage), except for a transient increase in H3K79me2 at mitosis (M phase). 
H3K79me3 was not detected throughout preimplantation, even at M phase. To 
investigate the involvement of H3K79me2 in genome reprogramming, somatic nuclei 
were transplanted into enucleated oocytes. H3K79me2 in these nuclei was 
demethylated following parthenogenetic activation. However, the nuclei that had 
been transplanted into the parthenogenetic embryos 7 h after activation were not 
demethylated. This suggests that the elimination of H3K79 methylation after 
fertilization is involved in genomic reprogramming.