Open AccessMethylation patterns of repetitive DNA sequences in germ cells ofMus muscutus
Author(s) -
J.P. Sanford,
Lesley M. Forrester,
Verne M. Chapman,
Ann C. Chandley,
Nicholas D. Hastie
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
nucleic acids research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 9.008
H-Index - 537
eISSN - 1362-4954
pISSN - 0305-1048
DOI - 10.1093/nar/12.6.2823
Subject(s) - biology , dna methylation , satellite dna , sperm , dna , somatic cell , oocyte , methylation , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , repeated sequence , meiosis , andrology , chromosome , embryo , gene , genome , gene expression , medicine
The major and the minor satellite sequences of Mus musculus were undermethylated in both sperm and oocyte DNAs relative to the amount of undermethylation observed in adult somatic tissue DNA. This hypomethylation was specific for satellite sequences in sperm DNA. Dispersed repetitive and low copy sequences show a high degree of methylation in sperm DNA; however, a dispersed repetitive sequence was undermethylated in oocyte DNA. This finding suggests a difference in the amount of total genomic DNA methylation between sperm and oocyte DNA. The methylation levels of the minor satellite sequences did not change during spermiogenesis, and were not associated with the onset of meiosis or a specific stage in sperm development.