DNA methylation modulates transcriptional noise in response to elevated pCO2 in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
Ocean acidification can significantly affect marine calcifiers like oysters, warranting the study ofmolecular mechanisms that contribute to adaptive plasticity in response to environmental change. Epigenetic mechanisms, specifically DNA methylation, have garnered attention as potential environmentally-responsive mediators of phenotypic plasticity. However, a consensus has not yet been reached on the extent to which DNA methylation modulates gene expression, and in turn plasticity, in marine invertebrates. Towards this, we investigated the impact of pCO2 on gene expression and DNA methylation in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in a sex-specific context. After a 30-day exposure control (572 ppm) or elevated pCO2 (2,827 ppm), whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA-seq data were generated from adult female gonad and male sperm. DNA methylation may regulate gene expression variability to maintain homeostasis of gene expression in elevated pCO2 conditions and could play a key role in environmental resilience in marine invertebrates.