DNA methylation and its effects on gene expression during primary to secondary growth in poplar stems

• Published in: BMC genomics 2020-07, Vol.21 (1), p.498-498, Article 498
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yang, Liu, Cong, Cheng, He, Tian, Shuanghui, Liu, Yingying, Wang, Shuang, Zhang, Huaxin, Saqib, Muhammad, Wei, Hairong, Wei, Zhigang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological activity; Biosynthesis; Bisulfite; Cell division; Cell walls; Cellulose; Correlation analysis; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Methylation; Epigenetics; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genomes; Genomics; Growth; Hardwoods; Lignin; Methylation; Observations; Poplar; Populus; Populus - genetics; Populus trichocarpa; Primary stems; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Secondary stems; Signaling; Stains & staining; Statistical analysis; Stems; Transcription; Transcription factors; Transition stems; Trees; Wood
• ISSN: 1471-2164; 1471-2164
• DOI: 10.1186/s12864-020-06902-6

As an important epigenetic mark, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) methylation is involved in many DNA-dependent biological processes and plays a role during development and differentiation of multicellular organisms. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the dynamic aspects and the roles of global 5mC methylation in wood formation in tree trunks. In this study, we not only scrutinized single-base resolution methylomes of primary stems (PS), transitional stems (TS), and secondary stems (SS) of Populus trichocarpa using a high-throughput bisulfite sequencing technique, but also analyzed the effects of 5mC methylation on the expression of genes involved in wood formation. The overall average percentages of CG, CHG, and CHH methylation in poplar stems were ~ 53.6%, ~ 37.7%, and ~ 8.5%, respectively, and the differences of 5mC in genome-wide CG/CHG/CHH contexts among PS, TS, and SS were statistically significant (p