Epigenetic interplay between mouse endogenous retroviruses and host genes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transposable elements are often the targets of repressive epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation that, in theory, have the potential to spread toward nearby genes and induce epigenetic silencing. To better understand the role of DNA methylation in the relationship between transposable elements and genes, we assessed the methylation state of mouse endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) located near genes.

Results

We found that ERVs of the ETn/MusD family show decreased DNA methylation when near transcription start sites in tissues where the nearby gene is expressed. ERVs belonging to the IAP family, however, are generally heavily methylated, regardless of the genomic environment and the tissue studied. Furthermore, we found full-length ETn and IAP copies that dis

SUBMITTER: Rebollo R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3491417 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature