Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2025

Single Oocyte Bisulfite Mutagenesis
Published on: June 27, 2012
Comparative analysis of sperm DNA methylation supports evolutionary acquired epigenetic plasticity for organ
Farideh Moharrek1, Lars R Ingerslev1, Ali Altıntaş1
1The Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 2200, Denmark.
Abstract:
Aim: To perform a comparative epigenomic analysis of DNA methylation in spermatozoa from humans, mice, rats and mini-pigs. Materials & methods: Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis was used to compare the methylation profiles of orthologous CpG sites. Transcription profiles of early embryo development were analyzed to provide insight into the association between sperm methylation and gene expression programming. Results: We identified DNA methylation variation near genes related to the central nervous system and signal transduction. Gene expression dynamics at different time points of preimplantation stages were modestly associated with spermatozoal DNA methylation at the nearest promoters. Conclusion: Conserved genomic regions subject to epigenetic variation across different species were associated with specific organ functions, suggesting their potential contribution to organ speciation and long-term adaptation to the environment.
Related Concept Videos
Genetics of Speciation
Inheritance of Chromatin Structures
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
Multi-species Conserved Sequences
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved...
The Evidence for Evolution

