Epigenetic Analysis through MSAP-NGS Coupled Technology: The Case Study of White Poplar Monoclonal Populations/Stands

Over the last several decades, several lines of evidence have shown that epigenetic modifications modulate phenotype and mediate an organism’s response to environmental stimuli. Plant DNA is normally highly methylated, although notable differences exist between species. Many biomolecular techniques based on PCR have been developed to analyse DNA methylation status, however a qualitative leap was made with the advent of next-generation sequencing (NGS). In the case of large, repetitive, or not-yet-sequenced genomes characterised by a high level of DNA methylation, the NGS analysis of bisulphite pre-treated DNA is expensive and time consuming, and moreover, in some cases data analysis is a major challenge. Methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) analysis is a highly effective method to study DNA methylation. The method is based on the comparison of double DNA digestion profiles (EcoRI-HpaII and EcoRI-MspI) to reveal methylation pattern variations. These are often attributable to pedoclimatic and stress conditions which affect all organisms during their lifetime. In our study, five white poplar (Populus alba L.) specimens were collected from different monoclonal stands in the Maltese archipelago, and their DNA was processed by means of an innovative approach where MSAP analysis was followed by NGS. This allowed us to identify genes that were differentially methylated among the different specimens and link them to specific biochemical pathways. Many differentially methylated genes were found to encode transfer RNAs (tRNAs) related to photosynthesis or light reaction pathways. Our results clearly demonstrate that this combinatorial method is suitable for epigenetic studies of unsequenced genomes like P. alba (at the time of study), and to identify epigenetic variations related to stress, probably caused by different and changing pedoclimatic conditions, to which the poplar stands have been exposed.