title: Transient reduction of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is associated with active DNA demethylation during regeneration of zebrafish fin.
abstract: Although dedifferentiation, transformation of differentiated cells into progenitor cells, is a critical step in the regeneration of amphibians and fish, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process, including epigenetic changes, remain unclear. Dot blot assays and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that, during regeneration of zebrafish fin, the levels of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) are transiently reduced in blastema cells and cells adjacent to the amputation plane at 30 h post-amputation (hpa), and the level of 5mC, but not 5hmC, is almost restored by 72 hpa. We observed that the dedifferentiated cells showed reduced levels of 5mC and 5hmC independent of cell proliferation by 24 hpa. Furthermore, expressions of the proposed demethylation- and DNA repair-related genes were detected during fin regeneration. Taken together, our findings illustrate that the transient reduction of 5mC and 5hmC in dedifferentiated cells is associated with active demethylation during regeneration of zebrafish fin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Science; Graduate School of Science; Hiroshima University; Hiroshima, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: Nobuyoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimoda
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
mesh_terms: D044503:5-Methylcytosine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D058500:Animal Fins / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D054337:Cell Dedifferentiation; D003596:Cytosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004260:DNA Repair; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D012038:Regeneration / Q000235:genetics*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: C011865:5-hydroxymethylcytosine; D044503:5-Methylcytosine; D003596:Cytosine
keywords: 5-hydroxymethylcytosine; 5-methylcytosine; active DNA demethylation; fin regeneration; zebrafish