title: Genome-wide and caste-specific DNA methylomes of the ants Camponotus floridanus and Harpegnathos saltator.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ant societies comprise individuals belonging to different castes characterized by specialized morphologies and behaviors. Because ant embryos can follow different developmental trajectories, epigenetic mechanisms must play a role in caste determination. Ants have a full set of DNA methyltransferases and their genomes contain methylcytosine. To determine the relationship between DNA methylation and phenotypic plasticity in ants, we obtained and compared the genome-wide methylomes of different castes and developmental stages of Camponotus floridanus and Harpegnathos saltator.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the ant genomes, methylcytosines are found both in symmetric CG dinucleotides (CpG) and non-CpG contexts and are strongly enriched at exons of active genes. Changes in exonic DNA methylation correlate with alternative splicing events such as exon skipping and alternative splice site selection. Several genes exhibit caste-specific and developmental changes in DNA methylation that are conserved between the two species, including genes involved in reproduction, telomere maintenance, and noncoding RNA metabolism. Several loci are methylated and expressed monoallelically, and in some cases, the choice of methylated allele depends on the caste.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These first ant methylomes and their intra- and interspecies comparison reveal an exonic methylation pattern that points to a connection between DNA methylation and splicing. The presence of monoallelic DNA methylation and the methylation of non-CpG sites in all samples suggest roles in genome regulation in these social insects, including the intriguing possibility of parental or caste-specific genomic imprinting.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bonasio
authors.forename: Qiye
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jinmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: Navdeep S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Mutti
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Pei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Yun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Zonghui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Steven S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Zongji
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shelley L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liebig
authors.forename: Guojie
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Danny
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reinberg
mesh_terms: D044503:5-Methylcytosine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D018899:CpG Islands; D003596:Cytosine / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005091:Exons; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D049750:Genome, Insect; D022821:RNA Splice Sites; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D022821:RNA Splice Sites; D044503:5-Methylcytosine; D003596:Cytosine