Large, male germ cell-specific hypomethylated DNA domains with unique genomic and epigenomic features on the mouse X chromosome.

ABSTRACT: To understand the epigenetic regulation required for germ cell-specific gene expression in the mouse, we analysed DNA methylation profiles of developing germ cells using a microarray-based assay adapted for a small number of cells. The analysis revealed differentially methylated sites between cell types tested. Here, we focused on a group of genomic sequences hypomethylated specifically in germline cells as candidate regions involved in the epigenetic regulation of germline gene expression. These hypomethylated sequences tend to be clustered, forming large (10 kb to ~9 Mb) genomic domains, particularly on the X chromosome of male germ cells. Most of these regions, designated here as large hypomethylated domains (LoDs), correspond to segmentally duplicated regions that contain gene families

SUBMITTER: Ikeda R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3859323 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature