------Widespread conservation and lineage-specific diversification of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns across arthropods.

ABSTRACT: Cytosine methylation is an ancient epigenetic modification yet its function and extent within genomes is highly variable across eukaryotes. In mammals, methylation controls transposable elements and regulates the promoters of genes. In insects, DNA methylation is generally restricted to a small subset of transcribed genes, with both intergenic regions and transposable elements (TEs) depleted of methylation. The evolutionary origin and the function of these methylation patterns are poorly understood. Here we characterise the evolution of DNA methylation across the arthropod phylum. While the common ancestor of the arthropods had low levels of TE methylation and did not methylate promoters, both of these functions have evolved independently in centipedes and mealybugs. In contrast, methylati

SUBMITTER: Lewis SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7343188 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature