Methylation status of VTRNA2-1/nc886 is stable across human populations, monozygotic twin pairs and in majority of somatic tissues

Abstract

AbstractAims and methodsOur aim was to characterise the methylation level of a polymorphically imprinted gene, VTRNA2-1/nc886, in human populations and somatic tissues. We utilised 48 datasets, consisting of >30 different tissues and >30 000 individuals.ResultsWe show that the nc886 methylation status is associated with twin status and ethnic background, but the variation between populations is limited. Monozygotic twin pairs present concordant methylation, while ∼30% of dizygotic twin pairs present discordant methylation in the nc886 locus. The methylation levels of nc886 are uniform across somatic tissues, except in cerebellum and skeletal muscle.ConclusionWe hypothesize that the nc886 imprint is established in the oocyte and that after implantation, the methylation status is stable, excluding a few specific tissues.