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Opportunities and limitations of reduced representation bisulfite sequencing in plant ecological epigenomics
Author(s) -
Paun Ovidiu,
Verhoeven Koen J. F.,
Richards Christina L.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.15388
Subject(s) - epigenetics , epigenomics , biology , computational biology , genomics , bisulfite , genome , ecology , evolutionary biology , genetics , gene , dna methylation , gene expression
ContentsSummary 738 I. Introduction 738 II. RRBS loci as genome‐wide epigenetic markers 739 III. Exploiting functional annotation of RRBS loci 739 IV. Limitations of RRBS methods for nonmodel species 740 V. Maximising the impact of RRBS in plants 741 VI. Conclusions 741Acknowledgements 741Summary Investigating the features and implications of epigenetic mechanisms across the breadth of organisms and ecosystems is important for understanding the ecological relevance of epigenetics. Several cost‐effective reduced representation bisulfite sequencing approaches ( RRBS ) have been recently developed and applied to different organisms that lack a well annotated reference genome. These new approaches improve the assessment of epigenetic diversity in ecological settings and may provide functional insights. We assess here the opportunities and limitations of RRBS in nonmodel plant species. Well thought out experimental designs that include complementary gene expression studies, and the improvement of genomics resources for the target group, promise to maximize the effect of future RRBS studies.