Analysis of DNA methylation in different tissues of Fenneropenaeus chinensis from the wild population and Huanghai No. 1

DNA methylation plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression during biological development and tissue differentiation in eukaryotes. A methylation sensitive amplification polymorphism（MSAP） including digestion, pre-selective amplification and selective amplification was optimized to compare the levels of DNA cytosine methylation at CCGG sites in muscle, gill and hemocyte from the wild populations and the selective breeding of Huanghai No. 1 of Fenneropenaeus chinensis, respectively. Significant differences in cytosine methylation levels among three tissues in two populations were detected. The average DNA methylation ratios in muscle, gill and hemocyte of the wild population were 23.1%, 22.3% and 19.7%, while those were 21.4%, 19.6%,and 18.9% in Huanghai No. 1, respectively. The DNA methylation levels of gill from the two populations were highly significant（P〈0.01）, the difference of muscle was significant（P〈0.05）, while in hemocyte, there were no significant differences（P〉0.05）. DNA polymorphic methylation of gill and hemocyte between the wild population and Huanghai No. 1 varies to some extent, while those of muscle kept in a balanced degree. Furthermore,polymorphic methylation was associated with demethylation and methylation of CCGG loci.

Changes in DNA Methylation Pattern at Two Seedling Stages in Water Saving and Drought-Resistant Rice Variety after Drought Stress Domestication

Recent studies revealed that DNA methylation plays an important role in plant growth and development. In this study, a water-saving and drought-resistant rice variety Huhan 3 was subjected to drought stress from tillering to grain-filling stages in six successive growth cycles. The variations in DNA methylation pattern between the original generation （Go） and the sixth generation （G6） were analyzed by using methylation sensitive amplification polymorphism method. The results revealed that the methylated loci accounted for 34.3% to 34.8% of the total loci. Among these methylated loci, 83.1% to 84.8% were full- and hyper-methylated and 15.2% to 16.9% were hemi-methylated. The DNA methylation level decreased from the three-leaf to four-leaf stages in Huhan 3. Differentially methylated loci （DML） between generations or/and between different developmental stages accounted for 4.0% of the total loci, most of which were only related to plant development （57.9%）. Compared to Go, the DNA methylation pattern of G8 changed after drought domestication, at the three-leaf stage, de-methylation accounting for 59.1%, while at the four-leaf stage, re-methylation for 47.9%. Genome-wide alternations of DNA methylation were observed between the two seedling stages, and DML mainly occurred on the gene＇s promoter and exon region. The genes related to DML involved in a wide range of functional biology and participated in many important biological processes.

Special DNA Methylated Sites Between Haploid of Twin-Seedling and Its Hybrids in Rice(Oryza sativa)

DNA methylation is one of the epigenetic phenomena which can be transferred to the offspring by cell division in the evolution of organisms. The epigenetic regulation accompanied by gene expression can be found directly in the phenotype of haploidy plants. DNA cytosine methylation at the 5＇-CpCpGpG sites of haploid, Shuhui 527, Shuhui 363 and their hybrids was analyzed by methylation sensitive amplification polymorphism （MSAP） method. There were 765 DNA methylated sites detected and the methylation level was lower in hybrids than parents. Meanwhile, the different bands between hybrids and parents were analyzed and two types of methylated sites were detected, of which one inherited from haploid, and the other did not. The biological functions of genes related to methylated sites involved in cell structure, metabolize and response factor. Therefore, DNA methylated modifications can activate and silence the genes and play an important role in plant growth, development and evolution.