China Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine ›› 2021, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (2): 417-424.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2021.02.002

• Biotechnology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Genome-wide DNA Methylation Analysis of Hypothalamus and Ovary in Langshan Chicken

XUE Qian, LI Guohui, ZHANG Huiyong, YIN Jianmei, ZHOU Chenghao, ZHU Yunfen, XING Weijie, SU Yijun, ZOU Jianmin, HAN Wei   

  1. National Chickens Genetic Resources, Poultry Institute of Jiangsu Province, Yangzhou 225125, China
  • Received:2020-07-24 Online:2021-02-20 Published:2021-02-23

Abstract: In order to obtain genome-wide epigenetic information,such as DNA methylation level and patterns of gonad axis tissues in Langshan chicken,the whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was used to detect the DNA methylation status across the genome of hypothalamus and ovary tissues.The DNA methylation level and specific methylation pattern of each tissue were also analyzed.The results showed that the global methylation level in the genomes of hypothalamus and ovary were 4.35% and 3.48%,respectively,which were significantly different (P<0.05).6 150 000 and 10 320 000 methylated cytosine (mC) sites were detected in the hypothalamus and ovary,with mCG sites accounting for nearly 69.99% and 87.88%,respectively.And the proportion of non-mCG sites in the hypothalamus was about 2.5 times that in the ovary.Different from each chromosome,the mCHH sites accounted for the highest proportion in the mitochondrial genomes of the two tissues,followed by the mCHG sites.DNA methylation level in the promoter region of the ovarian genome was significantly lower than that in the intron and exon (P<0.01),and significantly higher than that in the intergenic region (P<0.01).The methylation level of promoter region in the genome of hypothalamus was not significantly different from those of intron and exon regions (P>0.05),but significantly higher than that in the intergenic region (P<0.05).Methylation levels of all functional elements in the genome of hypothalamus were significantly or extremely significantly higher than those of the ovary genome (P<0.05;P<0.01).Overall,different DNA methylation patterns and characteristics existed in the hypothalamus and ovary tissues of Langshan chicken.A higher proportion of non-mCG sites in hypothalamus might play an important role in the development of central nervous system.The results provided reference for further research on the regulatory mechanism of DNA methylation in chicken ovary and hypothalamus on their reproductive performance.

Key words: Langshan chicken; DNA methylation; methylation pattern; ovary; hypothalamus

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