Dynamic Evolution of De Novo DNA Methyltransferases in Rodent and Primate Genomes.

ABSTRACT: Transcriptional silencing of retrotransposons via DNA methylation is paramount for mammalian fertility and reproductive fitness. During germ cell development, most mammalian species utilize the de novo DNA methyltransferases DNMT3A and DNMT3B to establish DNA methylation patterns. However, many rodent species deploy a third enzyme, DNMT3C, to selectively methylate the promoters of young retrotransposon insertions in their germline. The evolutionary forces that shaped DNMT3C's unique function are unknown. Using a phylogenomic approach, we confirm here that Dnmt3C arose through a single duplication of Dnmt3B that occurred ∼60 Ma in the last common ancestor of muroid rodents. Importantly, we reveal that DNMT3C is composed of two independently evolving segments: the latter two-thirds have unde

SUBMITTER: Molaro A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7306680 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature