Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Isolation and Cultivation of Neural Progenitors Followed by Chromatin-Immunoprecipitation of Histone 3 Lysine 79 Dimethylation Mark
Published on: January 26, 2018
Epigenetic Regulation by Histone Methylation and Demethylation in Freeze-Tolerant Frog Kidney
Olawale O Taiwo1, Sarah A Breedon1, Kenneth B Storey1
1Institute of Biochemistry and Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
The wood frog (Rana sylvatica) endures whole-body freezing over the winter, with extensive extracellular ice formation and halted physiological activities. Epigenetic mechanisms, including reversible histone lysine methylation, enable quick alterations in gene expression, helping to maintain viability during freeze-thaw cycles. The present study evaluated eight histone lysine methyltransferases (KMTs), 10 histone lysine demethylases (KDMs), and 11 histone marks in wood frog kidneys. Using immunoblotting, significant changes in relative protein levels of multiple KMTs and KDMs were observed in response to freezing, with variable alterations during thawing. Specifically, the repressive methyl marks H3K27me1 and H4K20me3 significantly decreased during freezing, whereas H3K9me3, H3K27me3, and H3K36me2 decreased during thawing. These results demonstrate that the regulation of histone methylation and demethylation play crucial roles in controlling gene expression over the freeze-thaw cycle and the maintenance of normal renal physiology.
Related Concept Videos
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
Histone Modification
Acetylation
The enzyme histone acetyltransferase adds acetyl group to the histones. Another enzyme, histone...
Inheritance of Chromatin Structures
Spreading of Chromatin Modifications
Writers
The writer...
Heterochromatin
Constitutive heterochromatin: It is a highly compact region of chromatin that is mostly concentrated in the centromere and telomere. Unlike euchromatin, the amino acid at...
Position-effect Variegation

