The Role of DNA Methylation Reprogramming During Sex Determination and Transition in Zebrafish

• 作者: Xinxin Wang Xin Ma Gaobo Wei Weirui Ma Zhen Zhang Xuepeng Chen Lei Gao Zhenbo Liu Yue Yuan Lizhi Yi Jun Wang Toshinobu Tokumoto Junjiu Huang Dahua Chen Jian Zhang Jiang Liu
• 来源期刊: 基因组蛋白质组与生物信息学报（英文版）
• 年，卷（期）: 2021,（1）
• 所属期刊栏目: ORIGINAL RESEARCH
• 页码范围: 48-63
• 页数: 16页
• 语种: 英文

摘要

DNA methylation is a prevalent epigenetic modification in vertebrates, and it has been shown to be involved the regulation of gene expression and embryo development. However, it remains unclear how DNA methylation regulates sexual development, especially in species without sex chromosomes. To determine this, we utilized zebrafish to investigate DNA methylation reprogramming during juvenile germ cell development and adult female-to-male sex transition. We reveal that primordial germ cells (PGCs) undergo significant DNA methylation reprogramming during germ cell development, and the methylome of PGCs is reset to an oocyte/ovary-like pattern at 9 days post fertilization (9 dpf). When DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) activity in juveniles was blocked after 9 dpf, the zebrafish developed into females. We also show that Tet3 is involved in PGC development. Notably, we find that DNA methylome reprogramming during adult zebrafish sex transition is similar to the reprogramming during the sex differentiation from 9 dpf PGCs to sperm. Furthermore, inhibiting DNMT activity can prevent the female-to-male sex transition, sug-gesting that methylation reprogramming is required for zebrafish sex transition. In summary, DNA methylation plays important roles in zebrafish germ cell development and sexual plasticity.