DNA methylation in differential gene expression during fiber initiation of cotton (Gossypium spp.)

Abstract

DNA methylation is one of the important epigenetic regulatory mechanisms that controls gene expression andcontributes to phenotypic diversity. Methylation status was assayed between the MCU5(wild type, fuzzyless- linted),MCU5 (mutant type, fuzzyless - lintless) genotypes of Gossypium hirsutum and Fuzzy- linted, Fuzzy- lintless lines ofGossypium arboreum cotton for ten fiber associated genes which play critical role in fibre initiation and early elongationstages of fiber development by using Methylation Sensitive Restriction Enzyme-Polymerase Chain Reaction (MSRE-PCR) approach. Results revealed that out of 36 In-silico detected restriction sites (5’-CCGG-3’), 4 (12.9 %) sites weremethylated in MCU5 (WT) and 7 (22.5 %) sites in MCU5 (fl) of Gossypium hirsutum cotton and 8 (25 %) sites in Fuzzy-linted (FL) and 4 (12.5 %) sites in Fuzzy-lintless (Fl) of Gossypium arboreum cotton. Methylation polymorphismobserved in few sites between the two genotypes of both Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium arboreum cotton indicatesthere is a difference in methylation status of the cytosine at a particular site on the DNA of fibred and fibreless genotypesat +1 Days Post Anthesis (DPA) stage. The difference in the methylation pattern at a particular site hints that, DNAmethylation may have role in gene regulation of fiber initiation in cotton