Population-wide DNA methylation polymorphisms at single-nucleotide resolution in 207 cotton accessions reveal epigenomic contributions to complex traits.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation plays multiple regulatory roles in crop development. However, the relationships of methylation polymorphisms with genetic polymorphisms, gene expression, and phenotypic variation in natural crop populations remain largely unknown. Here, we surveyed high-quality methylomes, transcriptomes, and genomes obtained from the 20-days-post-anthesis (DPA) cotton fibers of 207 accessions and extended the classical framework of population genetics to epigenetics. Over 287 million single methylation polymorphisms (SMPs) were identified, 100 times more than the number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SMPs were significantly enriched in intragenic regions while depleted in transposable elements. Association analysis further identified a total of 5,426,782 cis-methylation q

SUBMITTER: Zhao T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11615300 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature