Abstract
In eukaryotic genomes, DNA methylation is an important type of epigenetic modification that plays crucial roles in many biological processes. To investigate the impact of a hypovirus infection on the methylome of Cryphonectria parasitica, the chestnut blight fungus, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was employed to generate single-base resolution methylomes of the fungus with/without hypovirus infection. The results showed that hypovirus infection alters methylation in all three contexts (CG, CHG, and CHH), especially in gene promoters. A total of 600 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified, of which 144 could be annotated to functional genes. RNA-seq analysis revealed that DNA methylation in promoter is negatively correlated with gene expression. Among DMRs, four genes were shown to be involved in conidiation, orange pigment production, and virulence. Taken together, our DNA methylomes analysis provide valuable insights into the understanding of the relationship between DNA methylation and hypovirus infection, as well as phenotypic traits in C. parasitica.
Highlights
In eukaryotes, DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification mechanism that is involved in many cellular processes such as genomic imprinting, gene expression regulation, cellular differentiation, genome integrity, and disease development (Bird, 2002; Suzuki and Bird, 2008; Conerly and Grady, 2010; Kulis and Esteller, 2010)
To generate a genome-wide DNA methylation map of C. parasitica, DNA was extracted from the mycelia and high throughput whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was performed
Compared with EP155 and KU80, alpha/beta hydrolase (Abh) and serine/threonine protein kinase (Stk) showed no significant change in virulence, while tyrosine protein kinase (Tpk) and Met were attenuated in virulence with canker size about 1/3-1/2 of the wild-type strain. These results indicate that Tpk and Met genes contribute to the virulence of C. parasitica, but not Abh and Stk
Summary
DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification mechanism that is involved in many cellular processes such as genomic imprinting, gene expression regulation, cellular differentiation, genome integrity, and disease development (Bird, 2002; Suzuki and Bird, 2008; Conerly and Grady, 2010; Kulis and Esteller, 2010). Advances in whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) have generated single-base resolution methylomes of more than 20 eukaryotic organisms, including invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants. In these studies, many elaborate methylation patterns and functional roles of DNA methylation have been revealed (Lister et al, 2008, 2009; Zemach et al, 2010; Zhong et al, 2013; Wang X. et al, 2014). In Neurospora, DNA methylation is mainly regarded as a genome defense mechanism to silence transposable elements and DNA repeats (Martienssen and Colot, 2001; Selker et al, 2003).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
