Complex regulatory role of DNA methylation in caste- and age-specific expression of a termite

Harrison, Mark C.; Dohmen, Elias; George, Simon C.; Sillam‐Dussès, David; Séité, Sarah; Vasseur-Cognet, Mireille

doi:10.1101/2022.03.08.483442

Cited by 2 publications

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“…Whereas, the ant Harpegnathos saltator (Bonasio et al 2012) and the social termite Zootermopsis nevadensis (Glastad et al 2016) show higher variability between castes compared to sexes. Additionally, the termite Macrotermes natalensis (Harrison et al 2022) shows roughly equal variation between castes and sexes, highlighting the variability in DNA methylation differences within social insects.…”

Section: B Terrestris Caste-and Sex-specific Methylomementioning

confidence: 97%

DNA methylation is associated with codon degeneracy in a species of bumblebee

et al. 2023

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Social insects display extreme phenotypic differences between sexes and castes even though the underlying genome can be almost identical. Epigenetic processes have been proposed as a possible mechanism for mediating these phenotypic differences. Using whole genome bisulfite sequencing of queens, males, and reproductive female workers we have characterised the sex- and caste-specific methylome of the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. We have identified a potential role for DNA methylation in histone modification processes which may influence sex and caste phenotypic differences. We also find differentially methylated genes generally show low levels of DNA methylation which may suggest a separate function for lowly methylated genes in mediating transcriptional plasticity, unlike highly methylated genes which are usually involved in housekeeping functions. We also examined the relationship between the underlying genome and the methylome using whole genome re-sequencing of the same queens and males. We find DNA methylation is enriched at zero-fold degenerate sites. We suggest DNA methylation may be acting as a targeted mutagen at these sites, providing substrate for selection via non-synonymous changes in the underlying genome. However, we did not see any relationship between DNA methylation and rates of positive selection in our samples. In order to fully assess a possible role for DNA methylation in adaptive processes a specifically designed study using natural population data is needed.

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Section: B Terrestris Caste-and Sex-specific Methylomementioning

confidence: 97%

DNA methylation is associated with codon degeneracy in a species of bumblebee

et al. 2023

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“…Scripts and detailed methods are available from the GitHub repository: https://github.com/ MCH74/Mnat_Methylation. The processed methylation data are available as electronic supplementary material [50].…”

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confidence: 99%

Complex regulatory role of DNA methylation in caste- and age-specific expression of a termite

et al. 2022

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The reproductive castes of eusocial insects are often characterized by extreme lifespans and reproductive output, indicating an absence of the fecundity/longevity trade-off. The role of DNA methylation in the regulation of caste- and age-specific gene expression in eusocial insects is controversial. While some studies find a clear link to caste formation in honeybees and ants, others find no correlation when replication is increased across independent colonies. Although recent studies have identified transcription patterns involved in the maintenance of high reproduction throughout the long lives of queens, the role of DNA methylation in the regulation of these genes is unknown. We carried out a comparative analysis of DNA methylation in the regulation of caste-specific transcription and its importance for the regulation of fertility and longevity in queens of the higher termite Macrotermes natalensis . We found evidence for significant, well-regulated changes in DNA methylation in mature compared to young queens, especially in several genes related to ageing and fecundity in mature queens. We also found a strong link between methylation and caste-specific alternative splicing. This study reveals a complex regulatory role of fat body DNA methylation both in the division of labour in termites, and during the reproductive maturation of queens.

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Complex regulatory role of DNA methylation in caste- and age-specific expression of a termite

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

DNA methylation is associated with codon degeneracy in a species of bumblebee

DNA methylation is associated with codon degeneracy in a species of bumblebee

Complex regulatory role of DNA methylation in caste- and age-specific expression of a termite

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