Divergent Whole-Genome Methylation Maps of Human and Chimpanzee Brains Reveal Epigenetic Basis of Human Regulatory Evolution

The authors of this paper, Divergent Whole-Genome Methylation Maps of Human and Chimpanzee Brains Reveal Epigenetic Basis of Human Regulatory Evolution, explored the different patterns of DNA methylation in the prefrontal cortex between humans and chimpanzees and how these affect phenotypes. To carry out this investigation, the team employed whole genome sequencing of bisulfite converted DNA. They show that differences in DNA methylation in part explain divergence in gene expression between humans and chimpanzees and that many differentially methylated genes are associated with neurological disorders and cancers.

Link to Paper: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3511995/

Elaine Miller – Potluck 3/24/2020