DNA methylation in the termite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coptotermes lacteus</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">N?LoEmail author B?Li B?Ujvari |
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Institution: | (1) Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia;(2) Present address: Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia |
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Abstract: | Social insects are key examples of organisms that display polyphenism. Their genomes encode instructions for the development
of multiple phenotypes, known as castes, which typically have highly divergent morphology, physiology and behaviour. DNA methylation,
an epigenetic mechanism associated with modulation of gene expression in various eukaryotes, has recently been shown to provide
a key link between environmental cues and caste-specific gene expression in honey bees (Hymenoptera). In termites—a major
social insect group phylogenetically distant from Hymenoptera—the existence of DNA methylation has not, to our knowledge,
been reported to date. Since genes encoding key DNA methylation enzymes are known to be absent in the genomes of a number
of insect species, we sought to test whether termites are able to methylate their DNA, and, if so, whether caste-specific
patterns of DNA methylation exist. We performed methylation-specific amplified fragment length polymorphism on the termite
Coptotermes lacteus, and found evidence for DNA methylation. However, a comparison of methylation levels in different castes did not reveal any
significant differences in methylation levels. The demonstration of DNA methylation in termites sets the stage for future
epigenetic studies in these important social insects. |
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