Dataset Information

Inter-individual variation of DNA methylation and its implications for large-scale epigenome mapping.

ABSTRACT: Genomic DNA methylation profiles exhibit substantial variation within the human population, with important functional implications for gene regulation. So far little is known about the characteristics and determinants of DNA methylation variation among healthy individuals. We performed bioinformatic analysis of high-resolution methylation profiles from multiple individuals, uncovering complex patterns of inter-individual variation that are strongly correlated with the local DNA sequence. CpG-rich regions exhibit low and relatively similar levels of DNA methylation in all individuals, but the sequential order of the (few) methylated among the (many) unmethylated CpGs differs randomly across individuals. In contrast, CpG-poor regions exhibit substantially elevated levels of inter-individual variation, but also significant conservation of specific DNA methylation patterns between unrelated individuals. This observation has important implications for experimental analysis of DNA methylation, e.g. in the context of epigenome projects. First, DNA methylation mapping at single-CpG resolution is expected to uncover informative DNA methylation patterns for the CpG-poor bulk of the human genome. Second, for CpG-rich regions it will be sufficient to measure average methylation levels rather than assaying every single CpG. We substantiate these conclusions by an in silico benchmarking study of six widely used methods for DNA methylation mapping. Based on our findings, we propose a cost-optimized two-track strategy for mammalian methylome projects.

SUBMITTER: Bock C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2425484 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Inter-individual variation of DNA methylation and its implications for large-scale epigenome mapping.

Bock Christoph C Walter Jörn J Paulsen Martina M Lengauer Thomas T

Nucleic acids research 20080415 10

Genomic DNA methylation profiles exhibit substantial variation within the human population, with important functional implications for gene regulation. So far little is known about the characteristics and determinants of DNA methylation variation among healthy individuals. We performed bioinformatic analysis of high-resolution methylation profiles from multiple individuals, uncovering complex patterns of inter-individual variation that are strongly correlated with the local DNA sequence. CpG-ric ...[more]

PMID: 18413340

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Project description:Quantifying the natural inter-individual variation in DNA methylation patterns is important for identifying its contribution to phenotypic variation, but also for understanding how the environment affects variability, and for incorporation into statistical analyses. The inter-individual variation in DNA methylation patterns in female cattle and the effect that a prenatal stressor has on such variability have yet to be quantified. Thus, the objective of this study was to utilize methylation data from mature Brahman females to quantify the inter-individual variation in DNA methylation. Pregnant Brahman cows were transported for 2 h durations at days 60 ± 5; 80 ± 5; 100 ± 5; 120 ± 5; and 140 ± 5 of gestation. A non-transport group was maintained as a control. Leukocytes, amygdala, and anterior pituitary glands were harvested from eight cows born from the non-transport group (Control) and six from the transport group (PNS) at 5 years of age. The DNA harvested from the anterior pituitary contained the greatest variability in DNA methylation of cytosine-phosphate-guanine (mCpG) sites from both the PNS and Control groups, and the amygdala had the least. Numerous variable mCpG sites were associated with retrotransposable elements and highly repetitive regions of the genome. Some of the genomic features that had high variation in DNA methylation are involved in immune responses, signaling, responses to stimuli, and metabolic processes. The small overlap of highly variable CpG sites and features between tissues and leukocytes supports the role of variable DNA methylation in regulating tissue-specific gene expression. Many of the CpG sites that exhibited high variability in DNA methylation were common between the PNS and Control groups within a tissue, but there was little overlap in genomic features with high variability. The interaction between the prenatal environment and the genome could be responsible for the differences in location of the variable DNA methylation.

Dataset Information

Inter-individual variation of DNA methylation and its implications for large-scale epigenome mapping.

Publications

Inter-individual variation of DNA methylation and its implications for large-scale epigenome mapping.

Similar Datasets

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