Methylation Patterns in the 5’ Flanking Region of The Hoxb9 Gene in Sea Turtle Embryos with Congenital Malformations |Biomedgrid

Sea turtles are wild animals whose embryonic development largely depends on environmental factors. The shell of sea turtles is a novelty among vertebrates and follows a Hox code and axial formula for the group. The hoxb9 gene is a transcription factor involved in the regulation of embryonic development, mainly during neural tube development and plays an important role in shaping the thoracic-lumbar transition of sea turtles. Although it is known that Hox genes are regulated by chromatin modulating proteins, DNA methylation in CpG islands may also contribute to gene regulation. Previous studies have shown a high prevalence of congenital malformations in the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), including Schistosomus Reflexus (SR) syndrome. Here we studied the methylation profiles in the 5' flanking region of hoxb9 comparing normal and abnormal sea turtle embryos. Our results indicate that methylation of the putative promoter region of hoxb9 in sea turtle embryos occurred, however methylated cytosines showed individual patterns, not directly related to the development of congenital malformations.