PUBLICATION

Nucleotide distance influences co-methylation between nearby CpG sites

Authors
Affinito, O., Palumbo, D., Fierro, A., Cuomo, M., De Riso, G., Monticelli, A., Miele, G., Chiariotti, L., Cocozza, S.
ID
ZDB-PUB-190513-4
Date
2019
Source
Genomics   112(1): 144-150 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Keywords
Co-methylation, DNA methylation, Intrinsic methylation susceptibility, Nearby CpG sites, Nucleotide distance effect
MeSH Terms
  • DNA Methylation*
  • Animals
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Humans
  • CpG Islands*
  • DNA/chemistry
  • Nucleotides/analysis
PubMed
31078719 Full text @ Genomics
Abstract
The tendency of individual CpG sites to be methylated is distinctive, non-random and well-regulated throughout the genome. We investigated the structural and spatial factors influencing CpGs methylation by performing an ultra-deep targeted methylation analysis on human, mouse and zebrafish genes. We found that methylation is not a random process and that closer neighboring CpG sites are more likely to share the same methylation status. Moreover, if the distance between CpGs increases, the degree of co-methylation decreases. We set up a simulation model to analyze the contribution of both the intrinsic susceptibility and the distance effect on the probability of a CpG to be methylated. Our finding suggests that the establishment of a specific methylation pattern follows a universal rule that must take into account of the synergistic and dynamic interplay of these two main factors: the intrinsic methylation susceptibility of specific CpG and the nucleotide distance between two CpG sites.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping