Analysis of DNA methylation differences in gonads of the large yellow croaker

DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic modification that significantly regulates gene expression during development and differentiation. In this study, genome-wide methylation analysis of different gonads of the large yellow croaker was performed using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), which has characterized DNA methylation patterns in gonad tissue and identified candidate regions for future studies. Clustering analysis revealed that male and neomale methylation patterns were close compared to female. Based on KEGG pathway analysis of differentially methylated genes, we obtained signaling pathways related to gonadal development. We further investigated the methylation status of previously reported sex determination genes, and found that these genes showed different methylation status in three types of gonads, which may provide important clues to reveal the sex determination genes in the large yellow croaker. Furthermore, combined with transcriptome analysis, we found 7 sex-related genes in three comparison groups where expression negatively correlated with methylation.