The Methylome of Vertebrate Sex Chromosomes

Shafagh A Waters; Alexander Capraro; Kim L McIntyre; Jennifer A Marshall Graves; Paul D Waters

doi:10.3390/genes9050230

The Methylome of Vertebrate Sex Chromosomes

Genes (Basel). 2018 May 1;9(5):230. doi: 10.3390/genes9050230.

Authors

Shafagh A Waters^{1

2}, Alexander Capraro³, Kim L McIntyre⁴, Jennifer A Marshall Graves⁵, Paul D Waters⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. shafagh.waters@unsw.edu.au.
² School of Women's and Children's Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. shafagh.waters@unsw.edu.au.
³ School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. a.capraro@unsw.edu.au.
⁴ School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. kim.mcintyre@student.unsw.edu.au.
⁵ School of Life Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne VIC 3086, Australia. j.graves@latrobe.edu.au.
⁶ School of Biotechnology & Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia. p.waters@unsw.edu.au.

Abstract

DNA methylation is a key epigenetic modification in vertebrate genomes known to be involved in the regulation of gene expression, X chromosome inactivation, genomic imprinting, chromatin structure, and control of transposable elements. DNA methylation is common to all eukaryote genomes, but we still lack a complete understanding of the variation in DNA methylation patterns on sex chromosomes and between the sexes in diverse species. To better understand sex chromosome DNA methylation patterns between different amniote vertebrates, we review literature that has analyzed the genome-wide distribution of DNA methylation in mammals and birds. In each system, we focus on DNA methylation patterns on the autosomes versus the sex chromosomes.

Keywords: 5mC; DNA methylation; X chromosome inactivation; bird; dosage compensation; mammal; sex chromosome.

Publication types

Review