Epigenetic analytical approaches in ecotoxicological aquatic research

Area of Science:

• Environmental epigenetics
• Aquatic toxicology
• Climate change research

Background:

• Environmental stress and pollutants impact aquatic ecosystems.
• Intergenerational DNA methylation changes aid organism adaptation and survival.
• Epigenetic mechanisms are crucial for understanding aquatic organism responses to environmental changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review epigenetic analytical approaches in ecotoxicological aquatic research.
• To evaluate the application of epigenetic methods in aquatic organisms from 2016-2021.
• To identify challenges and opportunities in current epigenetic research.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 78 publications (2016-2021).
• Analysis of DNA methylation, histone variants, and ncRNA regulation methods.
• Evaluation of enzyme restriction digestion, immunoprecipitation, and bisulfite sequencing strategies.

Main Results:

• DNA methylation is the most studied epigenetic mark in aquatic animals.
• Histone variant and ncRNA studies are limited due to reagent availability.
• Next-generation sequencing and mass spectrometry offer future research avenues.

Conclusions:

• DNA methylation analysis methods are well-developed for aquatic organisms.
• Advancements in sequencing and alternative methods will enable large-scale epigenetic studies.
• A guide is provided to assist researchers in selecting appropriate epigenetic analytical methods.