Age-related methylation patterns of equine blood leukocytes

• Published in: Journal of animal science 2016-09, Vol.94, p.47-47
• Main Authors: Ząbek, T, Semik, E, Szmatoła, T, Gurgul, A, nal, A, Bugno-Poniewierska, M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Aging; Animal species; Blood; Catalysis; Deserts; Epigenetics; Farms; Genes; Genomes; Horses; Immune system; Leukocytes; Loci; Methylation; Molecular chains; Nucleic acids
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163

Horses belong to the one of the longest-living species of farm animals. Advanced age in horses is mainly associated with a decrease in body condition and dysfunction of the immune system. Due to this, the search for new solutions in the prevention and treatment of pathological conditions of the advanced age in this farm animal species are desirable. Identification of changes in the genome activity of aged horses is interesting in this respect. The recent research on aging includes the study of age-related epigenetic marks using methylome data. For example, epigenome-wide association studies in humans revealed a number of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that correspond to the particular phenotypes of aging. To find molecular pathways involved in the horse aging, we have conducted methylome studies of blood leukocytes, including groups of juvenile and aged horses of the primitive Hucul breed. Bisulfitome sequencing of blood leukocytes was performed using Illuminas' sequencing-by-synthesis method. The protocol for RRBS libraries preparation was applied to extract genomic areas enriched in CG sites. Majority of identified DMRs were placed in the intergenic regions or genomic deserts. A significant pait of DMRs were located inside the coding loci and also DMRs placed upstream to or at the transcription start sites of the genes. Genes associated with identified DMR sites are the members of pathways involved in nucleic acid binding transcription factor activity (GO:0001071). enzyme regulator activity (GO:0030234). and also catalytic (GO:0003824) and transporter activity (GO:0005215). Age-related nieth-ylation state of particular loci were consisted with their transcriptional activity in blood leukocytes derived from investigated horses. Obtained results might facilitate the determination of molecular basis of aging of equine blood system.