Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of the regenerative and non-regenerative tissues in sika deer (Cervus nippon)

Deer antlers, the secondary organs of deer, are a unique model to study regeneration of organ/tissue in mammals. Pedicle periosteum (PP) is the key tissue type for antler regeneration. Based on our previous study, the DNA methylation was found to be the basic molecular mechanism underlying the antler regeneration. In this study, we compare the genome-wide DNA methylation level in regenerative tissues (the potentiated PP of antler, muscle, heart and liver) and non-regenerative tissue (the dormant PP) of deer by the fluorescence-labeled methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (F-MSAP) method. Our results showed that DNA methylation level was significantly lower in the regenerative tissues compared to the non-regenerative tissue (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 26 T-DMRs which displayed different methylated status in regenerative and non-regenerative tissues were identified by the MSAP method, and were further confirmed by Southern blot analysis. Taken together, our data suggest that DNA methylation, an important epigenetic regulation mechanism, may play an important role in the mammalian tissue/organ regeneration.