Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in wild samples of two morphotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Abstract
Epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation play important biological roles in gene expression regulation and cellular differentiation during development. To examine whether DNA methylation patterns are potentially associated with naturally occurring phenotypic differences, we examined genome-wide DNA methylation within G. aculeatus, using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS). First, we identified highly methylated regions of the stickleback genome, finding such regions to be located predominantly within genes, and associated with genes functioning in metabolism and biosynthetic processes, cell adhesion, signaling pathways and blood vessel development. Next, we identified putative differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of the genome between complete and low lateral plate morphs of G. aculeatus. We detected 77 DMRs that were mainly located in intergenic regions. Annotations of genes associated with these DMRs revealed potential functions in a number of known divergent adaptive phenotypes between G. aculeatus ecotypes, including cardiovascular development, growth and neuromuscular development.
Citation
Smith , G , Smith , C , Kenny , J , Chaudhuri , R & Ritchie , M G 2015 , ' Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in wild samples of two morphotypes of threespine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) ' , Molecular Biology and Evolution , vol. 32 , no. 4 , pp. 888-895 . https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu344
Publication
Molecular Biology and Evolution
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0737-4038Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2014, Publisher / the Author(s). This work is made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at mbe.oxfordjournals.org / https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msu344
Description
This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility (NBAF) grant NBAF612.Collections
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