Dataset Information

Epigenetic DNA Modifications Are Correlated With B Chromosomes and Sex in the Cichlid Astatotilapia latifasciata.

ABSTRACT: Supernumerary B chromosomes are dispensable elements found in several groups of eukaryotes, and their impacts in host organisms are not clear. The cichlid fish Astatotilapia latifasciata presents one or two large metacentric B chromosomes. These elements affect the transcription of several classes of RNAs. Here, we evaluated the epigenetic DNA modification status of B chromosomes using immunocytogenetics and assessed the impact of B chromosome presence on the global contents of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and the molecular mechanisms underlying these variations. We found that the B chromosome of A. latifasciata has an active pattern of DNA epimarks, and its presence promotes the loss of 5mC in gonads of females with B chromosome (FB+) and promotes the loss of 5hmC in the muscle of males with the B element (MB+). Based on the transcriptional quantification of DNA modification genes (dnmt, tet, and tdg) and their candidate regulators (idh genes, microRNAs, and long non-coding RNAs) and on RNA-protein interaction prediction, we suggest the occurrence of passive demethylation in gonads of FB+ and 5hmC loss by Tet inhibition or by 5hmC oxidation in MB+ muscle. We suggest that these results can also explain the previously reported variations in the transcription levels of several classes of RNA depending on B chromosome presence. The DNA modifications detected here are also influenced by sex. Although the correlation between B chromosomes and sex has been previously reported, it remains unexplained. The B chromosome of A. latifasciata seems to be active and impacts cell physiology in a very complex way, including at the epigenetic level.

SUBMITTER: Cardoso AL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6474290 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Epigenetic DNA Modifications Are Correlated With B Chromosomes and Sex in the Cichlid <i>Astatotilapia latifasciata</i>.

Cardoso Adauto Lima AL Fantinatti Bruno Evaristo de Almeida BEA Venturelli Natália Bortholazzi NB Carmello Bianca de Oliveira BO de Oliveira Rogério Antonio RA Martins Cesar C

Frontiers in genetics 20190412

Supernumerary B chromosomes are dispensable elements found in several groups of eukaryotes, and their impacts in host organisms are not clear. The cichlid fish <i>Astatotilapia latifasciata</i> presents one or two large metacentric B chromosomes. These elements affect the transcription of several classes of RNAs. Here, we evaluated the epigenetic DNA modification status of B chromosomes using immunocytogenetics and assessed the impact of B chromosome presence on the global contents of 5-methylcy ...[more]

PMID: 31031803

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Project description:BackgroundSuccessful social behavior requires real-time integration of information about the environment, internal physiology, and past experience. The molecular substrates of this integration are poorly understood, but likely modulate neural plasticity and gene regulation. In the cichlid fish species Astatotilapia burtoni, male social status can shift rapidly depending on the environment, causing fast behavioral modifications and a cascade of changes in gene transcription, the brain, and the reproductive system. These changes can be permanent but are also reversible, implying the involvement of a robust but flexible mechanism that regulates plasticity based on internal and external conditions. One candidate mechanism is DNA methylation, which has been linked to social behavior in many species, including A. burtoni. But, the extent of its effects after A. burtoni social change were previously unknown.ResultsWe performed the first genome-wide search for DNA methylation patterns associated with social status in the brains of male A. burtoni, identifying hundreds of Differentially Methylated genomic Regions (DMRs) in dominant versus non-dominant fish. Most DMRs were inside genes supporting neural development, synapse function, and other processes relevant to neural plasticity, and DMRs could affect gene expression in multiple ways. DMR genes were more likely to be transcription factors, have a duplicate elsewhere in the genome, have an anti-sense lncRNA, and have more splice variants than other genes. Dozens of genes had multiple DMRs that were often seemingly positioned to regulate specific splice variants.ConclusionsOur results revealed genome-wide effects of A. burtoni social status on DNA methylation in the brain and strongly suggest a role for methylation in modulating plasticity across multiple biological levels. They also suggest many novel hypotheses to address in mechanistic follow-up studies, and will be a rich resource for identifying the relationships between behavioral, neural, and transcriptional plasticity in the context of social status.

Dataset Information

Epigenetic DNA Modifications Are Correlated With B Chromosomes and Sex in the Cichlid Astatotilapia latifasciata.

Publications

Epigenetic DNA Modifications Are Correlated With B Chromosomes and Sex in the Cichlid <i>Astatotilapia latifasciata</i>.

Similar Datasets

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