Intragenic DNA Methylation Regulates Insect Gene Expression and Reproduction through the MBD/Tip60 Complex

Authors

Guanfeng Xu, South China Normal University, China
Hao Lyu, South China Normal University, China
Yangqin Yi, South China Normal University, China
Yuling Peng, South China Normal University, China
Qili Feng, South China Normal University, China
Qisheng Song, University of Missouri
Chengcheng Gong, South China Normal University, China
Xuezhen Peng, South China Normal University, China
Subba Reddy Palli, University of KentuckyFollow
Sichun Zheng, South China Normal University, China

Abstract

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification. However, the regulations and functions of insect intragenic DNA methylation remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that a regulatory mechanism involving intragenic DNA methylation controls ovarian and embryonic developmental processes in Bombyx mori. In B. mori, DNA methylation is found near the transcription start site (TSS) of ovarian genes. By promoter activity analysis, we observed that 5′ UTR methylation enhances gene expression. Moreover, methyl-DNA-binding domain protein 2/3 (MBD2/3) binds to the intragenic methyl-CpG fragment and recruits acetyltransferase Tip60 to promote histone H3K27 acetylation and gene expression. Additionally, genome-wide analyses showed that the peak of H3K27 acetylation appears near the TSS of methyl-modified genes, and DNA methylation is enriched in genes involved in protein synthesis in the B. mori ovary, with MBD2/3 knockdown resulting in decreased fecundity. These data uncover a mechanism of gene body methylation for regulating insect gene expression and reproduction.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-7-2021

Notes/Citation Information

Published in iScience, v. 24, issue 2, 102040.

© 2021 The Author(s)

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102040

Funding Information

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31872286).

Related Content

The raw Illumina sequencing data from the BS-seq and RNA-seq generated during this study are deposited in SRA under accession number SRP217273 at NCBI.

Repository Citation

Xu, Guanfeng; Lyu, Hao; Yi, Yangqin; Peng, Yuling; Feng, Qili; Song, Qisheng; Gong, Chengcheng; Peng, Xuezhen; Palli, Subba Reddy; and Zheng, Sichun, "Intragenic DNA Methylation Regulates Insect Gene Expression and Reproduction through the MBD/Tip60 Complex" (2021). Entomology Faculty Publications. 208.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/entomology_facpub/208