Variably methylated retrotransposons are refractory to a range of environmental perturbations.

ABSTRACT: The agouti viable yellow (A^vy) allele is an insertional mutation in the mouse genome caused by a variably methylated intracisternal A particle (VM-IAP) retrotransposon. A^vy expressivity is sensitive to a range of early-life chemical exposures and nutritional interventions, suggesting that environmental perturbations can have long-lasting effects on the methylome. However, the extent to which VM-IAP elements are environmentally labile with phenotypic implications is unknown. Using a recently identified repertoire of VM-IAPs, we assessed the epigenetic effects of different environmental contexts. A longitudinal aging analysis indicated that VM-IAPs are stable across the murine lifespan, with only small increases in DNA methylation detected for a subset of loci. No signi

SUBMITTER: Bertozzi TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7611517 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature