Intraspecific and interspecific investigations of skeletal DNA methylation and femur morphology in primates.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Epigenetic mechanisms influence the development and maintenance of complex phenotypes and may also contribute to the evolution of species-specific phenotypes. With respect to skeletal traits, little is known about the gene regulation underlying these hard tissues or how tissue-specific patterns are associated with bone morphology or vary among species. To begin exploring these topics, this study evaluates one epigenetic mechanism, DNA methylation, in skeletal tissues from five nonhuman primate species which display anatomical and locomotor differences representative of their phylogenetic groups.

Materials and methods

First, we test whether intraspecific variation in skeletal DNA methylation is associated with intraspecific variation in femur morphology. Second, we

SUBMITTER: Housman G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7451158 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature