Publication Date:
2012-08-17
Description:
Background: The highly improved cognitive function is the most significant change in human evolutionaryhistory. Recently, several large-scale studies reported the evolutionary roles of DNAmethylation; however, the role of DNA methylation on brain evolution is largely unknown. Results: To test if DNA methylation has contributed to the evolution of human brain, with the use ofMeDIP-Chip and SEQUENOM MassARRAY, we conducted a genome-wide analysis toidentify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the brain between humans and rhesusmacaques. We first identified a total of 150 candidate DMRs by the MeDIP-Chip method,among which 4DMRs were confirmed by the MassARRAY analysis. All 4 DMRs are withinor close to the CpG islands, and a MIR3 repeat element was identified in one DMR, but norepeat sequence was observed in the other 3 DMRs. For the 4 DMR genes, their proteins tendto be conserved and two genes have neural related functions. Bisulfite sequencing andphylogenetic comparison among human, chimpanzee, rhesus macaque and rat suggestedseveral regions of lineage specific DNA methylation, including a human specifichypomethylated region in the promoter of K6IRS2 gene. Conclusions: Our study provides a new angle of studying human brain evolution and understanding theevolutionary role of DNA methylation in the central nervous system. The results suggest thatthe patterns of DNA methylation in the brain are in general similar between humans and nonhumanprimates, and only a few DMRs were identified.
Electronic ISSN:
1471-2148
Topics:
Biology
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