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Annelid methylomes reveal ancestral developmental and ageing-associated epigenetic erosion across Bilateria

ABSTRACT: Background DNA methylation in the form of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) is the most abundant base modification in animals. However, 5mC levels vary widely across taxa. Whilst vertebrate genomes are hypermethylated, in most invertebrates, 5mC concentrates on constantly and highly transcribed genes (gene body methylation; GbM) and, in some species, on transposable elements (TEs), a pattern known as ‘mosaic’. Yet, the role and developmental dynamics of 5mC and how these explain interspecific differences in DNA methylation patterns remain poorly understood, especially in Spiralia, a large clade of invertebrates comprising nearly half of the animal phyla. Results Here, we generate base-resolution methylomes for three species with distinct genomic features and phylogenetic positions in Annelida, a major spiralian phylum. All possible 5mC patterns occur in annelids, from typical invertebrate intermediate levels in a mosaic distribution to hypermethylation and methylation loss. GbM is common to annelids with 5mC, and methylation differences across species are explained by taxon-specific transcriptional dynamics or the presence of intronic TEs. Notably, the link between GbM and transcription decays during development, alongside a gradual and global, age-dependent demethylation in adult stages. Additionally, reducing 5mC levels with cytidine analogues during early development impairs normal embryogenesis and reactivates TEs in the annelid Owenia fusiformis. Conclusions Our study indicates that global epigenetic erosion during development and ageing is an ancestral feature of bilateral animals. However, the tight link between transcription and gene body methylation is likely more important in early embryonic stages, and 5mC-mediated TE silencing probably emerged convergently across animal lineages.

ORGANISM(S): Owenia fusiformis Dimorphilus gyrociliatus Capitella teleta

PROVIDER: GSE250187 | GEO | 2024/06/30

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:To profile the Daphnia species methylome and to achieve a better understanding of the level of variations in the methylome of Daphnia species, we performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBSeq) of adult Daphnia magna Bham2 strain and Daphnia pulex Eloise Butler strain (EB45 and EB31 strains). We also analysed the correlation between gene expression and methylation in the two species, using data generated in this study and RNA-seq data from Orsini, et al. 2016. We found that methylation percentage across the genome of Daphnia spp. follows a bimodal distribution. Furthermore, CpG methylation in Daphnia predominantly occurs at coding regions. Although methylation levels significantly decrease towards the 3’ end of a gene with a significant drop in methylation levels from one exon to the neighbouring intron, there is a clear spike in relative methylation levels between exon and intron boundaries, which may be linked to regulation of splicing. We further demonstrate that DNA methylation in Daphnia is responsive to intrinsic and extrinsic factors. We also compared the methylation and gene expression correlations found in Daphnia to publicly available dataset from two other invertebrate species (Apis mellifera and Nasonia vitripennis) and two vertebrate species (Homo sapiens and Mus musculus). We observed that similar to other invertebrates, Daphnia’s genome is sparsely methylated at a lower level and the methylation is predominantly focused at gene body while in vertebrate species the genome is heavily methylated (global methylation). Although the level and distribution of methylation across CpG sites is different between vertebrates and invertebrates it is possible that methylation density at coding regions has the same function between vertebrates and invertebrates. We demonstrate evolutionary conservation of a positive correlation between high methylation density at coding regions and gene expression across vertebrates and invertebrates, leading to potentially ensuring continuous high expression of genes required throughout the life in both vertebrates and invertebrates.

Project description:Methylation of cytosines at the 5th carbon position of the aromatic ring has long been regarded as the predominant type of DNA base modification in eukaryotes. Often called “the fifth base”, C5-methylcytosine (5mC) plays an important role in genome defense against mobile genetic elements, and is mostly associated with transcriptional silencing, establishment of the closed chromatin configuration, and repressive histone modifications. Recently, another type of DNA modification, N6-methyladenine (6mA), has been added to the repertoire of modified bases in eukaryotic DNA, and was mostly linked to elevated transcription levels. In prokaryotes, 5mC and 6mA typically constitute components of restriction-modification (R-M) systems, along with N4-methylcytosine (4mC), which so far has been confined to bacteria. Here we report the first case of 4mC occurrence in eukaryotic DNA. We find that bdelloid rotifers, small freshwater invertebrates known for their ability to reproduce clonally and to acquire genes from non-metazoan sources, lack the canonical eukaryotic C5-methyltransferases but instead encode an amino-methyltransferase of bacterial origin, N4CMT, which is present in all bdelloid families separated by tens of millions of years of evolution. The recombinant N4CMT introduces 4mC into genomic DNA in vivo and in vitro. Using SMRT-seq (PRJNA558051), MeDIP-seq, ChIP-seq, and RNA-seq, we examined genome-wide distribution of non-canonical base modifications over annotated genomic features and observed an excess of 4mC in silenced transposable elements and certain tandem repeats, while 6mA tends to associate with transcribed genes and active chromatin. The presence of the chromodomain in N4CMT explains its affinity for repressive histone marks, H3K9me3 and especially H3K27me3. Our results expand the known repertoire of eukaryotic base modifications, shed light on the process of recruitment of methyl groups as epigenetic marks in DNA, and highlight the role of horizontal gene transfer as an important driver of evolutionary innovation in eukaryotes.

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Annelid methylomes reveal ancestral developmental and ageing-associated epigenetic erosion across Bilateria

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