Large sex differences in chicken behavior and brain gene expression coincide with few differences in promoter DNA-methylation.

ABSTRACT: While behavioral sex differences have repeatedly been reported across taxa, the underlying epigenetic mechanisms in the brain are mostly lacking. Birds have previously shown to have only limited dosage compensation, leading to high sex bias of Z-chromosome gene expression. In chickens, a male hyper-methylated region (MHM) on the Z-chromosome has been associated with a local type of dosage compensation, but a more detailed characterization of the avian methylome is limiting our interpretations. Here we report an analysis of genome wide sex differences in promoter DNA-methylation and gene expression in the brain of three weeks old chickens, and associated sex differences in behavior of Red Junglefowl (ancestor of domestic chickens). Combining DNA-methylation tiling arrays with gene expressio

SUBMITTER: Natt D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4004567 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature