Influence of ocean acidification on Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) DNA methylation


SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY
2021 VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING (VAM)
January 3 – Febuary 28, 2021

Meeting Abstract


2-11  Sat Jan 2  Influence of ocean acidification on Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) DNA methylation Venkataraman, YR*; Roberts, SB; University of Washington; University of Washington yaaminiv@uw.edu http://yaaminiv.github.io

As negative effects of ocean acidification are experienced by coastal ecosystems, there is a growing trend to investigate the effect ocean acidification has on multiple generations. For example, temporarily exposing adult Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) to low pH prior to gametogenesis yielded a maternal effect — larval abundance was lower when females were exposed to low pH four months prior to spawning. The documented effect on Pacific oyster larval abundance indicates a potential role for epigenetic modifications, specifically DNA methylation, in response to ocean acidification. To assess how ocean acidification affects the Pacific oyster epigenome and uncover mechanisms behind the observed maternal effect, DNA was extracted from female oysters exposed to either low pH (7.31 ± 0.02) or ambient pH (7.82 ± 0.02) conditions for seven weeks. Whole genome bisulfite sequencing was used to identify methylated regions. The predicted function of genes containing differentially methylated loci location suggests a role for DNA methylation in acclimating to adverse conditions. Understanding a possible mechanism for phenotypic plasticity and acclimation across generations is valuable when considering organismal ability to persist in the face of environmental change.

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