The oocyte-specific linker histone H1FOO plays a key role in establishing high-quality mouse induced pluripotent stem cells

The faster and more efficient reprogramming done by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) than by induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation suggests that oocyte constituents have a pivotal role in promoting somatic cell reprogramming. The mammalian oocyte-specific linker histone H1FOO decondenses the chromatin of sperm nuclei after fertilization or of transferred somatic cell nuclei after SCNT in oocytes and has beneficial effects on mouse iPSC generation. The induction of H1foo with Oct4, Sox2, and Klf4 in mouse somatic cells significantly enhances the efficiency of qualified iPSC generation. Notably, H1foo promotes in vitro differentiation characteristics with low heterogeneity in iPSCs. Furthermore, H1foo enhances the generation of germline competent chimeric mice from iPSCs in a manner similar to that for embryonic stem cells. These findings indicate that H1foo contributes to the generation of higher-quality mouse iPSCs.