Retrotransposition creates sloping shores: a graded influence of hypomethylated CpG islands on flanking CpG sites.

ABSTRACT: Long interspersed elements (LINEs), through both self-mobilization and trans-mobilization of short interspersed elements and processed pseudogenes, have made an indelible impact on the structure and function of the human genome. One consequence is the creation of new CpG islands (CGIs). In fact, more than half of all CGIs in the genome are associated with repetitive DNA, three-quarters of which are derived from retrotransposons. However, little is known about the epigenetic impact of newly inserted CGIs. We utilized a transgenic LINE-1 mouse model and tracked DNA methylation dynamics of individual germline insertions during mouse development. The retrotransposed GFP marker sequence, a strong CGI, is hypomethylated in male germ cells but hypermethylated in somatic tissues, regardless of gen

SUBMITTER: Grandi FC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4509998 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature