Global DNA methylation loss associated with mercury contamination and aging in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).

ABSTRACT: Mercury is a widespread environmental contaminant with exposures eliciting a well-documented catalog of adverse effects. Yet, knowledge regarding the underlying mechanisms by which mercury exposures are translated into biological effects remains incomplete. DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that is sensitive to environmental cues, and alterations in DNA methylation at the global level are associated with a variety of diseases. Using a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry-based (LC-MS/MS) approach, global DNA methylation levels were measured in red blood cells of 144 wild American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from 6 sites with variable levels of mercury contamination across Florida's north-south axis. Variation in mercury concentrations measured in whole blo

SUBMITTER: Nilsen FM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4972023 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature