1
|
Peterson CR, Scott CB, Ghaffari R, Dixon G, Matz MV. Mixed Patterns of Intergenerational DNA Methylation Inheritance in Acropora. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae008. [PMID: 38243377 PMCID: PMC11079325 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
For sessile organisms at high risk from climate change, phenotypic plasticity can be critical to rapid acclimation. Epigenetic markers like DNA methylation are hypothesized as mediators of plasticity; methylation is associated with the regulation of gene expression, can change in response to ecological cues, and is a proposed basis for the inheritance of acquired traits. Within reef-building corals, gene-body methylation (gbM) can change in response to ecological stressors. If coral DNA methylation is transmissible across generations, this could potentially facilitate rapid acclimation to environmental change. We investigated methylation heritability in Acropora, a stony reef-building coral. Two Acropora millepora and two Acropora selago adults were crossed, producing eight offspring crosses (four hybrid, two of each species). We used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing to identify methylated loci and allele-specific alignments to quantify per-locus inheritance. If methylation is heritable, differential methylation (DM) between the parents should equal DM between paired offspring alleles at a given locus. We found a mixture of heritable and nonheritable loci, with heritable portions ranging from 44% to 90% among crosses. gBM was more heritable than intergenic methylation, and most loci had a consistent degree of heritability between crosses (i.e. the deviation between parental and offspring DM were of similar magnitude and direction). Our results provide evidence that coral methylation can be inherited but that heritability is heterogenous throughout the genome. Future investigations into this heterogeneity and its phenotypic implications will be important to understanding the potential capability of intergenerational environmental acclimation in reef building corals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carly B Scott
- Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Rashin Ghaffari
- Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Groves Dixon
- Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Mikhail V Matz
- Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ju X, Wang Z, Cai D, Bello SF, Nie Q. DNA methylation in poultry: a review. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2023; 14:138. [PMID: 37925454 PMCID: PMC10625706 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-023-00939-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023] Open
Abstract
As an important epigenetic modification, DNA methylation is involved in many biological processes such as animal cell differentiation, embryonic development, genomic imprinting and sex chromosome inactivation. As DNA methylation sequencing becomes more sophisticated, it becomes possible to use it to solve more zoological problems. This paper reviews the characteristics of DNA methylation, with emphasis on the research and application of DNA methylation in poultry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xing Ju
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding and Key Lab of Chicken Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China
| | - Zhijun Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, 666 Wusu Road, Lin'an, 311300, China
| | - Danfeng Cai
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding and Key Lab of Chicken Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China
| | - Semiu Folaniyi Bello
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding and Key Lab of Chicken Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China
| | - Qinghua Nie
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Lingnan Guangdong Laboratory of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China.
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Agro-Animal Genomics and Molecular Breeding and Key Lab of Chicken Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510642, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pham K, Ho L, D'Incal CP, De Cock A, Berghe WV, Goethals P. Epigenetic analytical approaches in ecotoxicological aquatic research. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 330:121737. [PMID: 37121302 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Environmental epigenetics has become a key research focus in global climate change studies and environmental pollutant investigations impacting aquatic ecosystems. Specifically, triggered by environmental stress conditions, intergenerational DNA methylation changes contribute to biological adaptive responses and survival of organisms to increase their tolerance towards these conditions. To critically review epigenetic analytical approaches in ecotoxicological aquatic research, we evaluated 78 publications reported over the past five years (2016-2021) that applied these methods to investigate the responses of aquatic organisms to environmental changes and pollution. The results show that DNA methylation appears to be the most robust epigenetic regulatory mark studied in aquatic animals. As such, multiple DNA methylation analysis methods have been developed in aquatic organisms, including enzyme restriction digestion-based and methyl-specific immunoprecipitation methods, and bisulfite (in)dependent sequencing strategies. In contrast, only a handful of aquatic studies, i.e. about 15%, have been focusing on histone variants and post-translational modifications due to the lack of species-specific affinity based immunological reagents, such as specific antibodies for chromatin immunoprecipitation applications. Similarly, ncRNA regulation remains as the least popular method used in the field of environmental epigenetics. Insights into the opportunities and challenges of the DNA methylation and histone variant analysis methods as well as decreasing costs of next generation sequencing approaches suggest that large-scale epigenetic environmental studies in model and non-model organisms will soon become available in the near future. Moreover, antibody-dependent and independent methods, such as mass spectrometry-based methods, can be used as an alternative epigenetic approach to characterize global changes of chromatin histone modifications in future aquatic research. Finally, a systematic guide for DNA methylation and histone variant methods is offered for ecotoxicological aquatic researchers to select the most relevant epigenetic analytical approach in their research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kim Pham
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium.
| | - Long Ho
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Claudio Peter D'Incal
- Protein Chemistry, Proteomics and Epigenetic Signaling (PPES), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, 2610, Belgium
| | - Andrée De Cock
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| | - Wim Vanden Berghe
- Protein Chemistry, Proteomics and Epigenetic Signaling (PPES), Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, Antwerp, 2610, Belgium
| | - Peter Goethals
- Department of Animal Sciences and Aquatic Ecology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Ghent 9000, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Davies SW, Gamache MH, Howe-Kerr LI, Kriefall NG, Baker AC, Banaszak AT, Bay LK, Bellantuono AJ, Bhattacharya D, Chan CX, Claar DC, Coffroth MA, Cunning R, Davy SK, del Campo J, Díaz-Almeyda EM, Frommlet JC, Fuess LE, González-Pech RA, Goulet TL, Hoadley KD, Howells EJ, Hume BCC, Kemp DW, Kenkel CD, Kitchen SA, LaJeunesse TC, Lin S, McIlroy SE, McMinds R, Nitschke MR, Oakley CA, Peixoto RS, Prada C, Putnam HM, Quigley K, Reich HG, Reimer JD, Rodriguez-Lanetty M, Rosales SM, Saad OS, Sampayo EM, Santos SR, Shoguchi E, Smith EG, Stat M, Stephens TG, Strader ME, Suggett DJ, Swain TD, Tran C, Traylor-Knowles N, Voolstra CR, Warner ME, Weis VM, Wright RM, Xiang T, Yamashita H, Ziegler M, Correa AMS, Parkinson JE. Building consensus around the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae diversity. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15023. [PMID: 37151292 PMCID: PMC10162043 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Within microeukaryotes, genetic variation and functional variation sometimes accumulate more quickly than morphological differences. To understand the evolutionary history and ecology of such lineages, it is key to examine diversity at multiple levels of organization. In the dinoflagellate family Symbiodiniaceae, which can form endosymbioses with cnidarians (e.g., corals, octocorals, sea anemones, jellyfish), other marine invertebrates (e.g., sponges, molluscs, flatworms), and protists (e.g., foraminifera), molecular data have been used extensively over the past three decades to describe phenotypes and to make evolutionary and ecological inferences. Despite advances in Symbiodiniaceae genomics, a lack of consensus among researchers with respect to interpreting genetic data has slowed progress in the field and acted as a barrier to reconciling observations. Here, we identify key challenges regarding the assessment and interpretation of Symbiodiniaceae genetic diversity across three levels: species, populations, and communities. We summarize areas of agreement and highlight techniques and approaches that are broadly accepted. In areas where debate remains, we identify unresolved issues and discuss technologies and approaches that can help to fill knowledge gaps related to genetic and phenotypic diversity. We also discuss ways to stimulate progress, in particular by fostering a more inclusive and collaborative research community. We hope that this perspective will inspire and accelerate coral reef science by serving as a resource to those designing experiments, publishing research, and applying for funding related to Symbiodiniaceae and their symbiotic partnerships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah W. Davies
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Matthew H. Gamache
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | | | | | - Andrew C. Baker
- Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Anastazia T. Banaszak
- Unidad Académica de Sistemas Arrecifales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Puerto Morelos, Mexico
| | - Line Kolind Bay
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, Australia
| | - Anthony J. Bellantuono
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Cheong Xin Chan
- Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Danielle C. Claar
- Nearshore Habitat Program, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, WA, USA
| | | | - Ross Cunning
- Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Simon K. Davy
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Javier del Campo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC - Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | | | - Jörg C. Frommlet
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Lauren E. Fuess
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, United States
| | - Raúl A. González-Pech
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, United States
| | - Tamar L. Goulet
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS, United States
| | - Kenneth D. Hoadley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama—Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, AL, United States
| | - Emily J. Howells
- National Marine Science Centre, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Dustin W. Kemp
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama—Birmingham, Birmingham, Al, United States
| | - Carly D. Kenkel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sheila A. Kitchen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Todd C. LaJeunesse
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Senjie Lin
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Shelby E. McIlroy
- Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Ryan McMinds
- Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| | | | - Clinton A. Oakley
- School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Raquel S. Peixoto
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
| | - Carlos Prada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
| | - Hollie M. Putnam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
| | | | - Hannah G. Reich
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, United States
| | - James Davis Reimer
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan
| | | | - Stephanie M. Rosales
- The Cooperative Institute For Marine and Atmospheric Studies, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Osama S. Saad
- Department of Biological Oceanography, Red Sea University, Port-Sudan, Sudan
| | - Eugenia M. Sampayo
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Scott R. Santos
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Eiichi Shoguchi
- Marine Genomics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Edward G. Smith
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Michael Stat
- School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
| | - Timothy G. Stephens
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, United States
| | - Marie E. Strader
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - David J. Suggett
- Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
- Climate Change Cluster, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia
| | - Timothy D. Swain
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Nova Southeastern University, Dania Beach, FL, United States
| | - Cawa Tran
- Department of Biology, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Nikki Traylor-Knowles
- Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | | | - Mark E. Warner
- School of Marine Science and Policy, University of Delaware, Lewes, DE, United States
| | - Virginia M. Weis
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United States
| | - Rachel M. Wright
- Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Tingting Xiang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
| | - Hiroshi Yamashita
- Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Maren Ziegler
- Department of Animal Ecology & Systematics, Justus Liebig University Giessen (Germany), Giessen, Germany
| | | | - John Everett Parkinson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Šrut M. Environmental Epigenetics in Soil Ecosystems: Earthworms as Model Organisms. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10070406. [PMID: 35878310 PMCID: PMC9323174 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10070406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
One of the major emerging concerns within ecotoxicology is the effect of environmental pollutants on epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. Epigenetic mechanisms regulate gene expression, meaning that the alterations of epigenetic marks can induce long-term physiological effects that can even be inherited across generations. Many invertebrate species have been used as models in environmental epigenetics, with a special focus on DNA methylation changes caused by environmental perturbations (e.g., pollution). Among soil organisms, earthworms are considered the most relevant sentinel organisms for anthropogenic stress assessment and are widely used as standard models in ecotoxicological testing of soil toxicity. In the last decade, several research groups have focused on assessing the impact of environmental stress on earthworm epigenetic mechanisms and tried to link these mechanisms to the physiological effects. The aim of this review is to give an overview and to critically examine the available literature covering this topic. The high level of earthworm genome methylation for an invertebrate species, responsiveness of epigenome to environmental stimuli, availability of molecular resources, and the possibility to study epigenetic inheritance make earthworms adequate models in environmental epigenomics. However, there are still many knowledge gaps that need to be filled in, before we can fully explore earthworms as models in this field. These include detailed characterization of the methylome using next-generation sequencing tools, exploration of multigenerational and transgenerational effects of pollutants, and information about other epigenetic mechanisms apart from DNA methylation. Moreover, the connection between epigenetic effects and phenotype has to be further explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maja Šrut
- Department of Zoology, Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cowen LJ, Putnam HM. Bioinformatics of Corals: Investigating Heterogeneous Omics Data from Coral Holobionts for Insight into Reef Health and Resilience. Annu Rev Biomed Data Sci 2022; 5:205-231. [PMID: 35537462 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biodatasci-122120-030732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Coral reefs are home to over two million species and provide habitat for roughly 25% of all marine animals, but they are being severely threatened by pollution and climate change. A large amount of genomic, transcriptomic, and other omics data is becoming increasingly available from different species of reef-building corals, the unicellular dinoflagellates, and the coral microbiome (bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, etc.). Such new data present an opportunity for bioinformatics researchers and computational biologists to contribute to a timely, compelling, and urgent investigation of critical factors that influence reef health and resilience. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biomedical Data Science, Volume 5 is August 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lenore J Cowen
- Department of Computer Science, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA;
| | - Hollie M Putnam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Dixon G, Matz M. Changes in gene body methylation do not correlate with changes in gene expression in Anthozoa or Hexapoda. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:234. [PMID: 35337260 PMCID: PMC8957121 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08474-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background As human activity alters the planet, there is a pressing need to understand how organisms adapt to environmental change. Of growing interest in this area is the role of epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, in tailoring gene expression to fit novel conditions. Here, we reanalyzed nine invertebrate (Anthozoa and Hexapoda) datasets to validate a key prediction of this hypothesis: changes in DNA methylation in response to some condition correlate with changes in gene expression. Results In accord with previous observations, baseline levels of gene body methylation (GBM) positively correlated with transcription, and negatively correlated with transcriptional variation between conditions. Correlations between changes in GBM and transcription, however, were negligible. There was also no consistent negative correlation between methylation and transcription at the level of gene body methylation class (either highly- or lowly-methylated), anticipated under the previously described “seesaw hypothesis”. Conclusion Our results do not support the direct involvement of GBM in regulating dynamic transcriptional responses in invertebrates. If changes in DNA methylation regulate invertebrate transcription, the mechanism must involve additional factors or regulatory influences. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08474-z.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Groves Dixon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA.
| | - Mikhail Matz
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Hubert JN, Demars J. Genomic Imprinting in the New Omics Era: A Model for Systems-Level Approaches. Front Genet 2022; 13:838534. [PMID: 35368671 PMCID: PMC8965095 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.838534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genomic imprinting represents a noteworthy inheritance mechanism leading to allele-specific regulations dependent of the parental origin. Imprinted loci are especially involved in essential mammalian functions related to growth, development and behavior. In this mini-review, we first offer a summary of current representations associated with genomic imprinting through key results of the three last decades. We then outline new perspectives allowed by the spread of new omics technologies tackling various interacting levels of imprinting regulations, including genomics, transcriptomics and epigenomics. We finally discuss the expected contribution of new omics data to unresolved big questions in the field.
Collapse
|
9
|
Ying H, Hayward DC, Klimovich A, Bosch TCG, Baldassarre L, Neeman T, Forêt S, Huttley G, Reitzel AM, Fraune S, Ball EE, Miller DJ. The role of DNA methylation in genome defense in Cnidaria and other invertebrates. Mol Biol Evol 2022; 39:6516040. [PMID: 35084499 PMCID: PMC8857917 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msac018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable attention has recently been focused on the potential involvement of DNA methylation in regulating gene expression in cnidarians. Much of this work has been centered on corals, in the context of changes in methylation perhaps facilitating adaptation to higher seawater temperatures and other stressful conditions. Although first proposed more than 30 years ago, the possibility that DNA methylation systems function in protecting animal genomes against the harmful effects of transposon activity has largely been ignored since that time. Here, we show that transposons are specifically targeted by the DNA methylation system in cnidarians, and that the youngest transposons (i.e., those most likely to be active) are most highly methylated. Transposons in longer and highly active genes were preferentially methylated and, as transposons aged, methylation levels declined, reducing the potentially harmful side effects of CpG methylation. In Cnidaria and a range of other invertebrates, correlation between the overall extent of methylation and transposon content was strongly supported. Present transposon burden is the dominant factor in determining overall level of genomic methylation in a range of animals that diverged in or before the early Cambrian, suggesting that genome defense represents the ancestral role of CpG methylation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hua Ying
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - David C Hayward
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Thomas C G Bosch
- Zoological Institute, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany.,Collaborative Research Center for the Origin and Function of Metaorganisms, Christian Albrechts University, Kiel, Germany
| | - Laura Baldassarre
- Department of Zoology and Organismal Interactions, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Teresa Neeman
- Biological Data Institute, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Sylvain Forêt
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Gavin Huttley
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Adam M Reitzel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, USA
| | - Sebastian Fraune
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - Eldon E Ball
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - David J Miller
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.,College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.,Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia.,Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Johnson KM, Sirovy KA, Kelly MW. Differential DNA methylation across environments has no effect on gene expression in the eastern oyster. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:1135-1147. [PMID: 34882793 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
It has been hypothesized that environmentally induced changes to gene body methylation could facilitate adaptive transgenerational responses to changing environments. We compared patterns of global gene expression (Tag-seq) and gene body methylation (reduced representation bisulfite sequencing) in 80 eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica from six full-sib families, common gardened for 14 months at two sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico that differed in mean salinity. At the time of sampling, oysters from the two sites differed in mass by 60% and in parasite loads by nearly two orders of magnitude. They also differentially expressed 35% of measured transcripts. However, we observed differential methylation at only 1.4% of potentially methylated loci in comparisons between individuals from these different environments, and little correspondence between differential methylation and differential gene expression. Instead, methylation patterns were largely driven by genetic differences among families, with a PERMANOVA analysis indicating nearly a two orders of magnitude greater number of genes differentially methylated between families than between environments. An analysis of CpG observed/expected values (CpG O/E) across the C. virginica genome showed a distinct bimodal distribution, with genes from the first cluster showing the lower CpG O/E values, greater methylation and higher and more stable gene expression, while genes from the second cluster showed lower methylation, and lower and more variable gene expression. Taken together, the differential methylation results suggest that only a small portion of the C. virginica genome is affected by environmentally induced changes in methylation. At this point, there is little evidence to suggest that environmentally induced methylation states would play a leading role in regulating gene expression responses to new environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Johnson
- Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA.,California Sea Grant, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kyle A Sirovy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Morgan W Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Trigg SA, Venkataraman YR, Gavery MR, Roberts SB, Bhattacharya D, Downey-Wall A, Eirin-Lopez JM, Johnson KM, Lotterhos KE, Puritz JB, Putnam HM. Invertebrate methylomes provide insight into mechanisms of environmental tolerance and reveal methodological biases. Mol Ecol Resour 2021; 22:1247-1261. [PMID: 34709728 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing focus on the role of DNA methylation in the ability of marine invertebrates to rapidly respond to changing environmental factors and anthropogenic impacts. However, genome-wide DNA methylation studies in nonmodel organisms are currently hampered by a limited understanding of methodological biases. Here, we compare three methods for quantifying DNA methylation at single base-pair resolution-whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), and methyl-CpG binding domain bisulfite sequencing (MBDBS)-using multiple individuals from two reef-building coral species with contrasting environmental sensitivity. All methods reveal substantially greater methylation in Montipora capitata (11.4%) than the more sensitive Pocillopora acuta (2.9%). The majority of CpG methylation in both species occurs in gene bodies and flanking regions. In both species, MBDBS has the greatest capacity for detecting CpGs in coding regions at our sequencing depth, but MBDBS may be influenced by intrasample methylation heterogeneity. RRBS yields robust information for specific loci albeit without enrichment of any particular genome feature and with significantly reduced genome coverage. Relative genome size strongly influences the number and location of CpGs detected by each method when sequencing depth is limited, illuminating nuances in cross-species comparisons. As genome-wide methylation differences, supported by data across bisulfite sequencing methods, may contribute to environmental sensitivity phenotypes in critical marine invertebrate taxa, these data provide a genomic resource for investigating the functional role of DNA methylation in environmental tolerance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shelly A Trigg
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Yaamini R Venkataraman
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mackenzie R Gavery
- Environmental and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Steven B Roberts
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
| | - Alan Downey-Wall
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jose M Eirin-Lopez
- Environmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Institute of Environment, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, USA
| | - Kevin M Johnson
- Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California, USA.,California Sea Grant, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Katie E Lotterhos
- Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Northeastern University, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jonathan B Puritz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Hollie M Putnam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, USA
| |
Collapse
|