Epigenetic inheritance of DNA methylation changes in fish living in hydrogen sulfide-rich springs.

ABSTRACT: Environmental factors can promote phenotypic variation through alterations in the epigenome and facilitate adaptation of an organism to the environment. Although hydrogen sulfide is toxic to most organisms, the fish Poecilia mexicana has adapted to survive in environments with high levels that exceed toxicity thresholds by orders of magnitude. Epigenetic changes in response to this environmental stressor were examined by assessing DNA methylation alterations in red blood cells, which are nucleated in fish. Males and females were sampled from sulfidic and nonsulfidic natural environments; individuals were also propagated for two generations in a nonsulfidic laboratory environment. We compared epimutations between the sexes as well as field and laboratory populations. For both the wil

SUBMITTER: Kelley JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8255783 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature