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Environmentally induced DNA methylation is inherited across generations in an aquatic keystone species

Feiner, Nathalie LU ; Radersma, Reinder LU ; Vasquez, Louella LU ; Ringnér, Markus LU orcid ; Nystedt, Björn ; Raine, Amanda ; Tobi, Elmar W. ; Heijmans, Bastiaan T. and Uller, Tobias LU (2022) In iScience 25(5).
Abstract
Transgenerational inheritance of environmentally induced epigenetic marks can have significant impacts on eco-evolutionary dynamics, but the phenomenon remains controversial in ecological model systems. We used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of individual water fleas (Daphnia magna) to assess whether environmentally induced DNA methylation is transgenerationally inherited. Genetically identical females were exposed to one of three natural stressors, or a de-methylating drug, and their offspring were propagated clonally for four generations under control conditions. We identified between 70 and 225 differentially methylated CpG positions (DMPs) in F1 individuals whose mothers were exposed to a natural stressor. Roughly half of these... (More)
Transgenerational inheritance of environmentally induced epigenetic marks can have significant impacts on eco-evolutionary dynamics, but the phenomenon remains controversial in ecological model systems. We used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of individual water fleas (Daphnia magna) to assess whether environmentally induced DNA methylation is transgenerationally inherited. Genetically identical females were exposed to one of three natural stressors, or a de-methylating drug, and their offspring were propagated clonally for four generations under control conditions. We identified between 70 and 225 differentially methylated CpG positions (DMPs) in F1 individuals whose mothers were exposed to a natural stressor. Roughly half of these environmentally induced DMPs persisted until generation F4. In contrast, treatment with the drug demonstrated that pervasive hypomethylation upon exposure is reset almost completely after one generation. These results suggest that environmentally induced DNA methylation is non-random and stably inherited across generations in Daphnia, making epigenetic inheritance a putative factor in the eco-evolutionary dynamics of freshwater communities. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Molecular genetics, DNA methylation, Epigenetics
in
iScience
volume
25
issue
5
article number
104303
pages
18 pages
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85129924515
  • pmid:35573201
ISSN
2589-0042
DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2022.104303
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
da9e326d-8d42-46d3-811a-ebe95f14deaa
date added to LUP
2022-05-09 15:41:40
date last changed
2022-08-09 03:00:09
@article{da9e326d-8d42-46d3-811a-ebe95f14deaa,
  abstract     = {{Transgenerational inheritance of environmentally induced epigenetic marks can have significant impacts on eco-evolutionary dynamics, but the phenomenon remains controversial in ecological model systems. We used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of individual water fleas (Daphnia magna) to assess whether environmentally induced DNA methylation is transgenerationally inherited. Genetically identical females were exposed to one of three natural stressors, or a de-methylating drug, and their offspring were propagated clonally for four generations under control conditions. We identified between 70 and 225 differentially methylated CpG positions (DMPs) in F1 individuals whose mothers were exposed to a natural stressor. Roughly half of these environmentally induced DMPs persisted until generation F4. In contrast, treatment with the drug demonstrated that pervasive hypomethylation upon exposure is reset almost completely after one generation. These results suggest that environmentally induced DNA methylation is non-random and stably inherited across generations in Daphnia, making epigenetic inheritance a putative factor in the eco-evolutionary dynamics of freshwater communities.}},
  author       = {{Feiner, Nathalie and Radersma, Reinder and Vasquez, Louella and Ringnér, Markus and Nystedt, Björn and Raine, Amanda and Tobi, Elmar W. and Heijmans, Bastiaan T. and Uller, Tobias}},
  issn         = {{2589-0042}},
  keywords     = {{Molecular genetics; DNA methylation; Epigenetics}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{5}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{iScience}},
  title        = {{Environmentally induced DNA methylation is inherited across generations in an aquatic keystone species}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2022.104303}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.isci.2022.104303}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}