A permissive chromatin structure is adopted prior to site-specific DNA demethylation of developmentally expressed genes involved in macronuclear differentiation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

DNA methylation and demethylation are important epigenetic regulatory mechanisms in eukaryotic cells and, so far, only partially understood. We exploit the minimalistic biological ciliate system to understand the crosstalk between DNA modification and chromatin structure. In the macronucleus of these cells, the DNA is fragmented into individual short DNA molecules, each representing a functional expression and replication unit. Therefore, long range epigenomic interaction can be excluded in this system.

Results

In the stichotrichous ciliate Stylonychia lemnae, cytosine methylation occurs in a small subset of macronuclear nanochromosomes expressed only during sexual reproduction. Methylation pattern shows similarity to that observed in fungi and Drosophila. Cytosin

SUBMITTER: Bulic A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3608066 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature