engleski

Methylation of metallothionein gene shows spatial variation in the blood of white stork nestlings (Ciconia ciconia L.)

The white stork (Ciconia ciconia L.) is a migratory species that is widespread in almost all of Europe and northern Croatia. It feeds near agricultural areas and landfills, subsequently being exposed to various sources of pollution such as pesticides, fertilisers and heavy metals. Stress or environmental pollution, can lead to epigenetic modifications resulting in gene expression changes, and by inheriting epigenetic changes, can be passed on to offspring. The aim was to investigate the methylation percentage of the metallothionein (MT) gene regulatory region, crucial for transcriptional activation by metals. DNA methylation was analysed by Real-time Methylation Specific PCR (qMSP) in the blood of white stork nestlings collected during breeding season 2021 from 15 locations in Slavonia, Baranja and central Croatia. The results showed that two samples from areas with less environmental pollution have a lower percentage of DNA methylation index (M.I.%). Differences in the percentage of methylation can be attributed to the fact that increased metal concentrations in the environment can lead to increased expression of the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT3) gene leading to de novo methylation. However, further research is needed to understand the effect of heavy metals on DNA methylation and MT gene expression in white storks

Ciconia ciconia ; metallothioneins ; DNA methylation ; qMSAp ; pollution

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