IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v2y2011i1d10.1038_ncomms1433.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cytosine methylation regulates oviposition in the pathogenic blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni

Author

Listed:
  • Kathrin K. Geyer

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

  • Carlos M. Rodríguez López

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

  • Iain W. Chalmers

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

  • Sabrina E. Munshi

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

  • Martha Truscott

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

  • James Heald

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

  • Mike J. Wilkinson

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

  • Karl F. Hoffmann

    (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS), Aberystwyth University, Penglais Campus)

Abstract

Similar to other metazoan pathogens, Schistosoma mansoni undergoes transcriptional and developmental regulation during its complex lifecycle and host interactions. DNA methylation as a mechanism to control these processes has, to date, been discounted in this parasite. Here we show the first evidence for cytosine methylation in the S. mansoni genome. Transcriptional coregulation of novel DNA methyltransferase (SmDnmt2) and methyl-CpG-binding domain proteins mirrors the detection of cytosine methylation abundance and implicates the presence of a functional DNA methylation machinery. Genome losses in cytosine methylation upon SmDnmt2 silencing and the identification of a hypermethylated, repetitive intron within a predicted forkhead gene confirm this assertion. Importantly, disruption of egg production and egg maturation by 5-azacytidine establishes an essential role for 5-methylcytosine in this parasite. These findings provide the first functional confirmation for this epigenetic modification in any worm species and link the cytosine methylation machinery to platyhelminth oviposition processes.

Suggested Citation

  • Kathrin K. Geyer & Carlos M. Rodríguez López & Iain W. Chalmers & Sabrina E. Munshi & Martha Truscott & James Heald & Mike J. Wilkinson & Karl F. Hoffmann, 2011. "Cytosine methylation regulates oviposition in the pathogenic blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 2(1), pages 1-10, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:2:y:2011:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1433
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1433
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms1433
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms1433?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:2:y:2011:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms1433. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.