MIT Libraries logoDSpace@MIT

MIT
View Item 
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • View Item
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • MIT Open Access Articles
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Proximal methylation features associated with nonrandom changes in gene body methylation

Author(s)
Picard, Colette Lafontaine; Gehring, Mary
Thumbnail
Downloaddocument.pdf (2.655Mb)
PUBLISHER_CC

Publisher with Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution

Terms of use
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Background: Gene body methylation at CG dinucleotides is a widely conserved feature of methylated genomes but remains poorly understood. The Arabidopsis thaliana strain Cvi has depleted gene body methylation relative to the reference strain Col. Here, we leverage this natural epigenetic difference to investigate gene body methylation stability. Results: Recombinant inbred lines derived from Col and Cvi were used to examine the transmission of distinct gene body methylation states. The vast majority of genic CG methylation patterns are faithfully transmitted over nine generations according to parental genotype, with only 1-4% of CGs either losing or gaining methylation relative to the parent. Genic CGs that fail to maintain the parental methylation state are shared among independent lines, suggesting that these are not random occurrences. We use a logistic regression framework to identify features that best predict sites that fail to maintain parental methylation state. Intermediate levels of CG methylation around a dynamic CG site and high methylation variability across many A. thaliana strains at that site are the strongest predictors. These data suggest that the dynamic CGs we identify are not specific to the Col-Cvi recombinant inbred lines but have an epigenetic state that is inherently less stable within the A. thaliana species. Extending this, variably methylated genic CGs in maize and Brachypodium distachyon are also associated with intermediate local CG methylation. Conclusions: These results provide new insights into the features determining the inheritance of gene body methylation and demonstrate that two different methylation equilibria can be maintained within single individuals.
Date issued
2017-04
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/116446
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computational and Systems Biology Program; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
Journal
Genome Biology
Publisher
Biomed Central Ltd
Citation
Picard, Colette L. and Mary Gehring. “Proximal Methylation Features Associated with Nonrandom Changes in Gene Body Methylation.” Genome Biology 18, 1 (April 2017): 73 © 2017 The Author(s)
Version: Final published version
ISSN
1474-760X

Collections
  • MIT Open Access Articles

Browse

All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

OA StatisticsStatistics by CountryStatistics by Department
MIT Libraries
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibilityContact us
MIT
Content created by the MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC unless otherwise noted. Notify us about copyright concerns.