N6-methyldeoxyadenine is a transgenerational epigenetic signal for mitochondrial stress adaptation

摘要: N6-methyldeoxyadenine (6mA), a major type of DNA methylation in bacteria, represents part restriction-modification systems to discriminate host genome from invader DNA1. With the recent advent more sensitive detection techniques, 6mA has also been detected some eukaryotes2-8. However, physiological function this epigenetic mark eukaryotes remains elusive. Heritable changes 5mC have associated with transgenerational inheritance responses high-fat diet9, thus raising exciting possibility that may be transmitted across generations and serve as carrier inheritable information. Using Caenorhabditis elegans model, here we report histone H3K4me3 modifications are required for transmission mitochondrial stress adaptations progeny. Intriguingly, global level is significantly elevated following perturbation. marks response genes promotes their transcription alleviate These findings suggest precisely regulated modulates signals C. elegans.