Snapshot of DNA methylation changes associated with hybridization in Xenopus

Hybridization often results in dramatic genome reconfigurations including epigenetic changes that control gene expression. Here we survey methylation patterns of interspecific Xenopus F1 hybrids relative to parental species X. laevis and X. muelleri, using methyl-sensitive amplification polymorphisms (MSAPs). Out of a total of 546 MSAP markers, 364 were effective in elucidating the difference in methylation patterns between the hybrids and the parental species. Principal coordinate analysis of methylated fragments revealed four distinct clusters with the two parental species separate from hybrid males and females. On average, hybrids were characterized by a higher proportion (70.6%) of methylated fragments compared with the parental species (64.5%), and this difference was consistent with previously observed disruptions of hybrid transcriptomes. The proportion of methylated fragments did not correlate with variation in genome size, as measured with flow cytometry. The levels of methylation in sterile hybrid males (73.8%) were higher than in fertile hybrid females (68.6%), but this difference was not statistically significant. A total of 76 methylated fragments (20.9%) were hybrid-unique, presumably originating from methylation alterations in hybrid genomes.