Cytosine Methylation Within Marine Sediment Microbial Communities: Potential Epigenetic Adaptation to the Environment.

ABSTRACT: Marine sediments harbor a vast amount of Earth's microbial biomass, yet little is understood regarding how cells subsist in this low-energy, presumably slow-growth environment. Cells in marine sediments may require additional methods for genetic regulation, such as epigenetic modification via DNA methylation. We investigated this potential phenomenon within a shallow estuary sediment core spanning 100 years of age. Here, we provide evidence of dynamic community m5-cytosine methylation within estuarine sediment metagenomes. The methylation states of individual CpG sites were reconstructed and quantified across three depths within the sediment core. A total of 6,254 CpG sites were aligned for direct comparison of methylation states between samples, and 4,235 of these sites mapped to t

SUBMITTER: Rambo IM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6579885 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature