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

Conclusion The B chromosome of A. latifasciata has a pattern of 5mC and 5hmC epimarks that can suggest its active status or that DNA methylation, at least, is not involved in B-silencing. Moreover, our data correlate B chromosome presence with passive DNA demethylation associated with sex, and the epigenetic effects of the B chromosome presence can also explain the previously reported variations in the transcription levels of several classes of RNA. B chromosomes represent additional chromatin in the nucleus, and their presence seems to have an extensive impact on several cellular processes, including epigenetic modification. The state of the art of B chromosome science suggests that besides B chromosomes favoring their own drive during cell division, these accessory elements seem to cause major impacts in the cell and in the organism. Ethics Statement This study was carried out in accordance with the Brazilian College of Animal Experimentation and was approved by the Institute of Biosciences (UNESP) ethics committee on the use of animals (Protocol No. 486-2013 and 769-2015). Author Contributions AC, BF, NV, BC, RO, and CM provided the substantial contributions to the conception of the work, wrote, read, and approved the manuscript. AC and NV performed the acquisition, analyses, and interpretation of cytogenetic data. AC and BC performed the nucleic acid acquisition and RNA expression analyses. AC and CM performed the epigenetic analyses and critically edited the final m...
Source: Frontiers in Genetics - Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: research