Placental Hypomethylation Is More Pronounced in Genomic Loci Devoid of Retroelements.

ABSTRACT: The human placenta is hypomethylated compared to somatic tissues. However, the degree and specificity of placental hypomethylation across the genome is unclear. We assessed genome-wide methylation of the human placenta and compared it to that of the neutrophil, a representative homogeneous somatic cell. We observed global hypomethylation in placenta (relative reduction of 22%) compared to neutrophils. Placental hypomethylation was pronounced in intergenic regions and gene bodies, while the unmethylated state of the promoter remained conserved in both tissues. For every class of repeat elements, the placenta showed lower methylation but the degree of hypomethylation differed substantially between these classes. However, some retroelements, especially the evolutionarily younger Alu elements,

SUBMITTER: Chatterjee A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4938645 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature