Rancourt Rebecca C, Schellong Karen, Tzschentke Barbara, Henrich Wolfgang, Plagemann Andreas
Division of 'Experimental Obstetrics' Clinic of Obstetrics Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health Germany.
Institute of Biology Humboldt-University of Berlin Germany.
FEBS Open Bio. 2018 Apr 27;8(6):932-939. doi: 10.1002/2211-5463.12427. eCollection 2018 Jun.
Increased availability and improved sequence annotation of the chicken ( f.) genome have sparked interest in the bird as a model system to investigate translational embryonic development and health/disease outcomes. However, the epigenetics of this bird genome remain unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of gene expression and DNA methylation at the proopiomelanocortin () gene in the hypothalamus of 3-week-old chickens. is a key player in the control of the stress response, food intake, and metabolism. DNA methylation of the promoter, CpG island, and gene body regions of were measured. Our data illustrate the pattern, variability, and functionality of DNA methylation for expression in the chicken. Our findings show correlation of methylation pattern and gene expression along with sex-specific differences in . Overall, these novel data highlight the promising potential of the chicken as a model and also the need for breeders and researchers to consider sex ratios in their studies.
鸡（原鸡）基因组可用性的提高和序列注释的改进，引发了人们对将鸟类作为研究转化胚胎发育及健康/疾病结果的模型系统的兴趣。然而，这种鸟类基因组的表观遗传学仍不清楚。本研究的目的是确定3周龄鸡下丘脑促肾上腺皮质激素原（POMC）基因的基因表达水平和DNA甲基化水平。POMC在应激反应、食物摄入和新陈代谢的控制中起关键作用。对POMC启动子、CpG岛和基因体区域的DNA甲基化进行了测量。我们的数据阐明了鸡中POMC表达的DNA甲基化模式、变异性和功能。我们的研究结果表明甲基化模式与基因表达相关，且POMC存在性别特异性差异。总体而言，这些新数据凸显了鸡作为模型的广阔潜力，也表明育种者和研究人员在研究中需要考虑性别比例。
