Znhit1-mediated H2A.Z deposition governs transcriptional programs essential for oocyte meiotic progression

Mammalian oogenesis is a precisely orchestrated developmental process, which depends on accurate chromatin remodeling and transcriptional regulation in the absence of DNA replication. The histone variant H2A.Z is required for oogenesis and embryogenesis, yet the chaperone directing its deposition has not been well characterized in mammalian oocytes. Here, we identify Znhit1, a core subunit of the SRCAP chromatin remodeling complex, as the essential factor mediating H2A.Z deposition in oocytes. Oocyte-specific depletion of Znhit1 impairs H2A.Z incorporation and leads to severe ovarian phenotype, characterized by follicle loss, homologous chromosome segregation defects and meiotic arrest, which ultimately leads to female infertility. On a molecular level, integrated Smart-seq2 and H2A.Z CUT&Tag analyses demonstrate that Znhit1 depletion severely reduces genome-wide H2A.Z deposition, particularly at promoter regions of key meiotic genes such as Aurkb, Tpm3 and Zar1, resulting in transcriptional dysregulation and aberrant meiotic gene expression. Our findings pinpoint Znhit1 as the histone chaperone essential for accurate deposition of histone variant H2A.Z, ensuring meiotic progression and oocyte development in mice.