Detection of differentially methylated regions of irradiated fig tree selections

Fig tree (Ficus carica L.) breeding programs using conventional methods, such as directed crosses, to obtain new cultivars, are unworkable in many countries, including Brazil. Consequently, genetic breeding through mutagenesis has emerged as an important line of research that can improve this crop, and be a significant source of information about this species and assist in the implementation of propagation projects and appropriate management. The aim of this study was to verify the existence of epigenetic variability attributable to DNA methylation in irradiated fig selections when compared both to each other and to the main commercial cultivar, “Roxo-de-Valinhos”, which had previously used methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) and DNA sequencing to detect the position of polymorphic regions, analyzable by bioinformatic tools. The sequencing of DNA, isolated from the differentially methylated sites, makes it possible to observe different patterns of methylation by sequencing the treated DNA with sodium bisulfite in the coding regions of regulatory genes active in the development, and fruit ripening stages. Furthermore, they have been found in the mitochondrial DNA of treatments which regulate the supply of energy in Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) form in plants. Closely related to their development, they justify the different phenotypes found in both fruit and plant growth that have suffered stress due to exposure to gamma radiation. Thus, future studies on gene expression in treatments have emerged as an extremely important strategy for understanding these complex regulatory systems, which may lead to the identification of genes of agricultural interest for the fig tree crop, and allow for manipulation and subsequent propagation of improved crops for commercial purposes

Resistance and aerobic training increases genome-wide DNA methylation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Physical activity is a first-line treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Resistance or aerobic exercise improves metabolic complications, reproductive outcomes, and quality of life in PCOS. DNA methylation reprogramming during exercise may be the major modifier behind these changes. We sought to evaluate genome-wide DNA methylation changes after supervised resistance and aerobic exercise in women with PCOS. Exercises were performed in 56 women with PCOS (resistance, n = 30; aerobic, n = 26), for 16 weeks (wks), three times per week, in 50-minute to one-hour sessions. Anthropometric indices and hormonal and metabolic parameters were measured before and after training. Genome-wide leukocyte DNA methylation was analysed by Infinium Human MethylationEPIC 850K BeadChip microarrays (Illumina). Both resistance and aerobic exercise improved anthropometric indices, metabolic dysfunction, and hyperandrogenism in PCOS after the training programme, but no differences were observed between the two exercises. Resistance and aerobic exercise increased genome-wide DNA methylation, although resistance changed every category in the CpG island context (islands, shores, shelve, and open sea), whereas aerobic exercise altered CpG shores and the open sea. Using a stringent FDR (>40), 6 significantly differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were observed in the resistance exercise cohort and 14 DRMs in the aerobic cohort, all of which were hypermethylated. The increase in genome-wide DNA methylation may be related to the metabolic and hormonal changes observed in PCOS after resistance and aerobic exercise. Since the mammalian genome is hypermethylated globally to prevent genomic instability and ageing, resistance and aerobic exercise may promote health and longevity through environmentally induced epigenetic changes.</p