首页 | 官方网站   微博 | 高级检索  
     


Genome‐wide DNA methylation signatures of infection status in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata)
Authors:Juntao Hu  Felipe Pérez‐Jvostov  Léa Blondel  Rowan D H Barrett
Affiliation:1. Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada;2. Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Abstract:Epigenetic modification, especially DNA methylation, can play an important role in mediating gene regulatory response to environmental stressors and may be a key process affecting phenotypic plasticity and adaptation. Parasites are potent stressors with profound physiological and ecological effects on their hosts, yet it remains unclear how parasites influence host methylation patterns. Here, we used a well‐studied host–parasite system, the guppy Poecilia reticulata and its ectoparasitic monogenean Gyrodactylus turnbulli to gain mechanistic insight into the dynamics of DNA methylation in host–parasite interactions. To explore this, we quantitatively measured genome‐wide DNA methylation in guppy skin tissue using reduced representation bisulphite sequencing and characterized differential methylation patterns in guppies during distinct phases of infection. We identified 365, 313, and 741 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between infected and control fish in early infection, peak infection and recovery phases, respectively. The magnitude of the methylation difference was moderate in DMRs, with an average of 29% (early infection), 27% (peak infection) and 30% (recovery) differential methylation per DMR. Approximately 50% of DMRs overlapped with CpG islands, and over half of the DMRs overlapped with gene bodies, several of which encode proteins relevant to immune response. These findings provide the first evidence of an epigenetic signature of infection by ectoparasites and demonstrate the changing relationship between epigenetic variation and immune response in distinct phases of infection.
Keywords:DNA methylation  epigenetics     Gyrodactylus turnbulli     host–  parasite interactions  phenotypic plasticity     Poecilia reticulata     reduced representation bisulphite sequencing
设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司    京ICP备09084417号-23

京公网安备 11010802026262号