TY - JOUR
T1 - Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in wild samples of two morphotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
AU - Smith, Gilbert
AU - Smith, Carl
AU - Kenny, John
AU - Chaudhuri, Roy
AU - Ritchie, Michael Gordon
N1 - This work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) through NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility (NBAF) grant NBAF612.
PY - 2015/4
Y1 - 2015/4
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Adaptation
KW - Lateral plate morph
KW - Ecotype
KW - Epigenetic mechanism
KW - Phenotypic plasticity
U2 - 10.1093/molbev/msu344
DO - 10.1093/molbev/msu344
M3 - Article
SN - 0737-4038
VL - 32
SP - 888
EP - 895
JO - Molecular Biology and Evolution
JF - Molecular Biology and Evolution
IS - 4
ER -
