Environmentally induced DNA methylation is inherited across generations in an aquatic keystone species.
JSON
Feiner N, Radersma R, Vasquez L, Ringnér M, Nystedt B, Raine A, Tobi EW, Heijmans BT, Uller T
iScience 25 (5) 104303 [2022-05-20; online 2022-04-25]
Transgenerational inheritance of environmentally induced epigenetic marks can have significant impacts on eco-evolutionary dynamics, but the phenomenon remains controversial in ecological model systems. We used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of individual water fleas (Daphnia magna) to assess whether environmentally induced DNA methylation is transgenerationally inherited. Genetically identical females were exposed to one of three natural stressors, or a de-methylating drug, and their offspring were propagated clonally for four generations under control conditions. We identified between 70 and 225 differentially methylated CpG positions (DMPs) in F1 individuals whose mothers were exposed to a natural stressor. Roughly half of these environmentally induced DMPs persisted until generation F4. In contrast, treatment with the drug demonstrated that pervasive hypomethylation upon exposure is reset almost completely after one generation. These results suggest that environmentally induced DNA methylation is non-random and stably inherited across generations in Daphnia, making epigenetic inheritance a putative factor in the eco-evolutionary dynamics of freshwater communities.
Bioinformatics Long-term Support WABI [Collaborative]
Bioinformatics Support for Computational Resources [Service]
Bioinformatics Support, Infrastructure and Training [Collaborative]
NGI Short read [Collaborative]
NGI Uppsala (SNP&SEQ Technology Platform) [Collaborative]
National Genomics Infrastructure [Collaborative]
PubMed 35573201
DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104303
Crossref 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104303
pii: S2589-0042(22)00573-9
pmc: PMC9097707
Dryad: 10.5061/dryad.f4qrfj6xq