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Matlosz S, Franzdóttir SR, Pálsson A, Jónsson ZO. DNA methylation reprogramming in teleosts. Evol Dev 2024:e12486. [PMID: 38783650 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Early embryonic development is crucially important but also remarkably diverse among animal taxa. Axis formation and cell lineage specification occur due to both spatial and temporal control of gene expression. This complex system involves various signaling pathways and developmental genes such as transcription factors as well as other molecular interactants that maintain cellular states, including several types of epigenetic marks. 5mC DNA methylation, the chemical modification of cytosines in eukaryotes, represents one such mark. By influencing the compaction of chromatin (a high-order DNA structure), DNA methylation can either repress or induce transcriptional activity. Mammals exhibit a reprogramming of DNA methylation from the parental genomes in the zygote following fertilization, and later in primordial germ cells (PGCs). Whether these periods of methylation reprogramming are evolutionarily conserved, or an innovation in mammals, is an emerging question. Looking into these processes in other vertebrate lineages is thus important, and teleost fish, with their extensive species richness, phenotypic diversity, and multiple rounds of whole genome duplication, provide the perfect research playground for answering such a question. This review aims to present a concise state of the art of DNA methylation reprogramming in early development in fish by summarizing findings from different research groups investigating methylation reprogramming patterns in teleosts, while keeping in mind the ramifications of the methodology used, then comparing those patterns to reprogramming patterns in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Matlosz
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | | | - Arnar Pálsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Zophonías O Jónsson
- Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland
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Kumar G, Gurao A, Vasisth R, Chitkara M, Singh R, Ranganatha Sriranga K, Shivanand Dige M, Mukesh M, Singh P, Singh Kataria R. Genome-wide 5'-C-phosphate-G-3' methylation patterns reveal the effect of heat stress on the altered semen quality in Bubalus bubalis. Gene 2024; 906:148233. [PMID: 38331117 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Semen production and quality are closely correlated with different environmental factors in bovines, particularly for the buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) bulls reared under tropical and sub-tropical conditions. Factors including DNA methylation patterns, an intricate process in sperm cells, have an impact on the production of quality semen in buffalo bulls under abiotic stress conditions. The present study was conducted to identify DNA methylome signatures for semen quality in Murrah buffalo bulls, acclaimed as a major dairy breed globally, under summer heat stress. Based on semen quality parameters that significantly varied between the two groups over the seasons, the breeding bulls were classified into seasonally affected (SA = 6) and seasonally non-affected (SNA = 6) categories. DNA was isolated from purified sperm cells and sequenced using the RRBS (Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing) technique for genome-wide methylome data generation. During the hot summer months, the physiological parameters such as scrotal surface temperature, rectal temperature, and respiration rate for both the SA and SNA bulls were significantly higher in the afternoon than in the morning. Whereas, the global CpG% of SA bulls was positively correlated with the afternoon's scrotal surface and rectal temperature. The RRBS results conveyed differentially methylated cytosines in the promoter region of the genes encoding the channels responsible for Ca2+ exchange, NPTN, Ca2+ activated chloride channels, ANO1, and a few structure-related units such as septins (SEPT4 and SEPT6), SPATA, etc. Additionally, the hypermethylated set of genes in SA was significantly enriched for pathways such as the FOXO signaling pathway and oocyte meiosis. The methylation patterns suggest promoter methylation in the genes regulating the sperm structure as well as surface transporters, which could contribute to the reduced semen quality in the Murrah buffalo bulls during the season-related heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gautam Kumar
- ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal (Haryana), India
| | - Ankita Gurao
- ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal (Haryana), India
| | - Rashi Vasisth
- ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal (Haryana), India
| | - Meenakshi Chitkara
- ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal (Haryana), India
| | - Ravinder Singh
- ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana), India
| | | | | | - Manishi Mukesh
- ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal (Haryana), India
| | - Pawan Singh
- ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal (Haryana), India
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Jiang L, Zhang P, Huang LT, Yu XL, Liu CY, Yuan XC, Liu S, Huang H. Life-stage specificity and temporal variations in transcriptomes and DNA methylomes of the reef coral Pocillopora damicornis in response to thermal acclimation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 921:171098. [PMID: 38387572 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the acclimation capacity of reef corals across generations to thermal stress and its underlying molecular underpinnings could provide insights into their resilience and adaptive responses to future climate change. Here, we acclimated adult brooding coral Pocillopora damicornis to high temperature (32 °C vs. 29 °C) for three weeks and analyzed the changes in phenotypes, transcriptomes and DNA methylomes of adult corals and their brooded larvae. Results showed that although adult corals did not show noticeable bleaching after thermal exposure, they released fewer but larger larvae. Interestingly, larval cohorts from two consecutive lunar days exhibited contrasting physiological resistance to thermal stress, as evidenced by the divergent responses of area-normalized symbiont densities and photochemical efficiency to thermal stress. RNA-seq and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing revealed that adult and larval corals mounted distinct transcriptional and DNA methylation changes in response to thermal stress. Remarkably, larval transcriptomes and DNA methylomes also varied greatly among lunar days and thermal treatments, aligning well with their physiological metrics. Overall, our study shows that changes in transcriptomes and DNA methylomes in response to thermal acclimation can be highly life stage-specific. More importantly, thermally-acclimated adult corals could produce larval offspring with temporally contrasting photochemical performance and thermal resilience, and such variations in larval phenotypes are associated with differential transcriptomes and DNA methylomes, and are likely to increase the likelihood of reproductive success and plasticity of larval propagules under thermal stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Jiang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Pan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lin-Tao Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiao-Lei Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Cheng-Yue Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Xiang-Cheng Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Sheng Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China
| | - Hui Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Marine Biology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; CAS-HKUST Sanya Joint Laboratory of Marine Science Research, Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Sanya Institute of Ocean Eco-Environmental Engineering, SCSIO, Sanya 572000, China; Sanya National Marine Ecosystem Research Station, Tropical Marine Biological Research Station in Hainan, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, China.
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Bonzi LC, Donelson JM, Spinks RK, Munday PL, Ravasi T, Schunter C. Matching maternal and paternal experiences underpin molecular thermal acclimation. Mol Ecol 2024:e17328. [PMID: 38520127 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17328] [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: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
The environment experienced by one generation has the potential to affect the subsequent one through non-genetic inheritance of parental effects. Since both mothers and fathers can influence their offspring, questions arise regarding how the maternal, paternal and offspring experiences integrate into the resulting phenotype. We aimed to disentangle the maternal and paternal contributions to transgenerational thermal acclimation in a reef fish, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, by exposing two generations to elevated temperature (+1.5°C) in a fully factorial design and analysing the F2 hepatic gene expression. Paternal and maternal effects showed not only common but also parent-specific components, with the father having the largest influence in shaping the offspring's transcriptomic profile. Fathers contributed to transcriptional transgenerational response to warming through transfer of epigenetically controlled stress-response mechanisms while mothers influenced increased gene expression associated with lipid metabolism regulation. However, the key to acclimation potential was matching thermal experiences of the parents. When both parents were exposed to the same condition, offspring showed increased expression of genes related to structural RNA production and transcriptional regulation, whereas environmental mismatch in parents resulted in maladaptive parental condition transfer, revealed by translation suppression and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Interestingly, the offspring's own environmental experience had the smallest influence on their hepatic transcription profiles. Taken together, our results show the complex nature of the interplay among paternal, maternal and offspring cue integration, and reveal that acclimation potential to ocean warming might depend not only on maternal and paternal contributions but importantly on congruent parental thermal experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- L C Bonzi
- The Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - J M Donelson
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - R K Spinks
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Blue Carbon Section, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - P L Munday
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
| | - T Ravasi
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
- Marine Climate Change Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - C Schunter
- The Swire Institute of Marine Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution and Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
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Del Vecchio G, Rodríguez‐Fuentes G, Rosas C, Mascaró M. Thermoregulatory response in juvenile Hippocampus erectus: Effect of magnitude and rate of thermal increase on metabolism and antioxidative defence. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10977. [PMID: 38380062 PMCID: PMC10877557 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Behavioural, physiological and biochemical mechanisms constitute the adaptive capacities that allow marine ectotherms to explore the environment beyond their thermal optimal. Limitations to the efficiency of these mechanisms define the transition from moderate to severe thermal stress, and serve to characterise the thermoregulatory response in the zone of thermal tolerance. We selected a tropical population of Hippocampus erectus to describe the timing of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms in response to the following increments in water temperature: (i) 4°C abrupt (26-30°C in <5 min); (ii) 7°C abrupt (26-33°C); (iii) 4°C gradual (1°C every 3 h) and (iv) 7°C gradual (1.5°C every 3 h). The routine metabolic rate (Rrout) of juvenile H. erectus was measured immediately before and after 0.5, 12 and 28 h of being exposed to each thermal treatment. Samples of muscle and abdominal organs were taken to quantify indicators of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism and antioxidant enzymes and oxidative stress at each moment throughout exposure. Results showed a full thermoregulatory response within 0.5 h: Rrout increased in direct correspondence with both the magnitude and rate of thermal increase; peroxidised lipids rapidly accumulated before the antioxidant defence was activated and early lactate concentrations suggested an immediate, yet temporary, reduction in aerobic scope. After 12 h, Rrout had decreased in sea horses exposed to 30°C, but not to 33°C, where Rrout continued high until the end of trials. Within 28 h of thermal exposure, all metabolite and antioxidant defence indicators had been restored to control levels (26°C). These findings testify to the outstanding thermal plasticity of H. erectus and explain their adjustment to rapid fluctuations in ambient temperature. Such features, however, do not protect this tropical population from the deleterious effects of chronic exposure to temperatures that have been predicted for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Del Vecchio
- Posgrado en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoSisalYucatanMexico
| | - Gabriela Rodríguez‐Fuentes
- Unidad de Química en Sisal, Facultad de QuímicaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoSisalYucatanMexico
| | - Carlos Rosas
- Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoSisalYucatanMexico
| | - Maite Mascaró
- Unidad Multidisciplinaria de Docencia e Investigación, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoSisalYucatanMexico
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Puvanendran V, Burgerhout E, Andersen Ø, Kent M, Hansen Ø, Tengs T. Intergenerational effects of early life-stage temperature modulation on gene expression and DNA methylation in Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua). Epigenetics 2023; 18:2237759. [PMID: 37499122 PMCID: PMC10376914 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2237759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
After suffering several collapses, the cod farming industry is now in the process of trying to re-establish itself. We have used material from Norway's National Cod Breeding Program to study how different early life-stage temperature regimes affect DNA methylation and gene expression. Long-term effects were detected by sampling fish several weeks after the end of differential treatments, and offspring from the different exposure groups was also sampled. Many overlapping genes were found between the different exposure groups and generations, coupled with genes associated with differential CpG methylation levels. Genes involved in muscle fibre development, general metabolic processes and formation of deformities were significantly affected, and genes relevant for intergenerational transfer of epigenetic marks were also detected. We believe the use of environmental cues can be a useful strategy for improving the production of Atlantic cod.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Matthew Kent
- Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Centre for Integrative Genetics (CIGENE), Faculty of Biosciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
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Seebacher F, Bamford SM, Le Roy A. Sex-specific transgenerational plasticity: developmental temperatures of mothers and fathers have different effects on sons and daughters. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245798. [PMID: 37293931 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245798] [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: 03/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Each parent can influence offspring phenotype via provisioning of the zygote or sex-specific DNA methylation. Transgenerational plasticity may therefore depend on the environmental conditions experienced by each parent. We tested this hypothesis by conducting a fully factorial experiment across three generations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata), determining the effects of warm (28°C) and cold (21°C) thermal backgrounds of mothers and fathers on mass and length, and thermal performance (sustained and sprint swimming speeds, citrate synthase and lactate dehydrogenase activities; 18, 24, 28, 32 and 36°C test temperatures) of sons and daughters. Offspring sex was significant for all traits except for sprint speed. Warmer mothers produced sons and daughters with reduced mass and length, and warmer fathers produced shorter sons. Sustained swimming speed (Ucrit) of male offspring was greatest when both parents were raised at 28°C, and warmer fathers produced daughters with greater Ucrit. Similarly, warmer fathers produced sons and daughters with greater metabolic capacity. We show that the thermal variation experienced by parents can modify offspring phenotype, and that predicting the impacts of environmental change on populations would require knowledge of the thermal background of each mother and father, particularly where sexes are spatially segregated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Seebacher
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Stephanie M Bamford
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Amelie Le Roy
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Heydon-Laurence Building A08, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
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Green MR, Swaney WT. Interacting effects of environmental enrichment across multiple generations on early life phenotypes in zebrafish. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B: MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael R. Green
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
- Chester Medical School University of Chester Chester UK
| | - William T. Swaney
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
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Liu Z, Zhou T, Gao D. Genetic and epigenetic regulation of growth, reproduction, disease resistance and stress responses in aquaculture. Front Genet 2022; 13:994471. [PMID: 36406125 PMCID: PMC9666392 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.994471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Major progress has been made with genomic and genetic studies in aquaculture in the last decade. However, research on epigenetic regulation of aquaculture traits is still at an early stage. It is apparent that most, if not all, aquaculture traits are regulated at both genetic and epigenetic levels. This paper reviews recent progress in understanding of genetic and epigenetic regulation of important aquaculture traits such as growth, reproduction, disease resistance, and stress responses. Although it is challenging to make generalized statements, DNA methylation is mostly correlated with down-regulation of gene expression, especially when at promoters and enhancers. As such, methylation of growth factors and their receptors is negatively correlated with growth; hypomethylation of genes important for stress tolerance is correlated with increased stress tolerance; hypomethylation of genes important for male or female sex differentiation leads to sex differentiation into males or females, respectively. It is apparent that environmental regulation of aquaculture traits is mediated at the level of epigenetic regulation, and such environment-induced epigenetic changes appeared to be intergenerationally inherited, but evidences for transgenerational inheritance are still limited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhanjiang Liu
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States,*Correspondence: Zhanjiang Liu,
| | - Tao Zhou
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Genetics and Breeding of Marine Organisms, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Dongya Gao
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, United States
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