TY  - JOUR
A1  - Guerrero, Tania P.
A1  - Fickel, Jörns
A1  - Benhaiem, Sarah
A1  - Weyrich, Alexandra
T1  - Epigenomics and gene regulation in mammalian social systems
JF  - Current zoology
N2  - Social epigenomics is a new field of research that studies how the social environment shapes the epigenome and how in turn the epigenome modulates behavior. We focus on describing known gene-environment interactions (GEIs) and epigenetic mechanisms in different mammalian social systems. To illustrate how epigenetic mechanisms integrate GEls, we highlight examples where epigenetic mechanisms are associated with social behaviors and with their maintenance through neuroendocrine, locomotor, and metabolic responses. We discuss future research trajectories and open questions for the emerging field of social epigenomics in nonmodel and naturally occurring social systems. Finally, we outline the technological advances that aid the study of epigenetic mechanisms in the establishment of GEIs and vice versa.
KW  - epigenetics
KW  - DNA methylation
KW  - histone modification
KW  - rank
KW  - social status
KW  - social systems
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1093/cz/zoaa005
SN  - 1674-5507
SN  - 2396-9814
VL  - 66
IS  - 3
SP  - 307
EP  - 319
PB  - Oxford Univ. Press
CY  - Oxford
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weyrich, Alexandra
A1  - Guerrero-Altamirano, Tania P.
A1  - Yasar, Selma
A1  - Czirjak, Gábor-Árpád
A1  - Wachter, Bettina
A1  - Fickel, Jörns
T1  - First Steps towards the development of epigenetic biomarkers in female cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)
JF  - Life : open access journal
N2  - Free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are generally healthy, whereas cheetahs under human care, such as those in zoological gardens, suffer from ill-defined infectious and degenerative pathologies. These differences are only partially explained by husbandry management programs because both groups share low genetic diversity. However, mounting evidence suggests that physiological differences between populations in different environments can be tracked down to differences in epigenetic signatures. Here, we identified differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between free-ranging cheetahs and conspecifics in zoological gardens and prospect putative links to pathways relevant to immunity, energy balance and homeostasis. Comparing epigenomic DNA methylation profiles obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from eight free-ranging female cheetahs from Namibia and seven female cheetahs living in zoological gardens within Europe, we identified DMRs of which 22 were hypermethylated and 23 hypomethylated. Hypermethylated regions in cheetahs under human care were located in the promoter region of a gene involved in host-pathogen interactions (KLC1) and in an intron of a transcription factor relevant for the development of pancreatic beta-cells, liver, and kidney (GLIS3). The most canonical mechanism of DNA methylation in promoter regions is assumed to repress gene transcription. Taken together, this could indicate that hypermethylation at the promoter region of KLC1 is involved in the reduced immunity in cheetahs under human care. This approach can be generalized to characterize DNA methylation profiles in larger cheetah populations under human care with a more granular longitudinal data collection, which, in the future, could be used to monitor the early onset of pathologies, and ultimately translate into the development of biomarkers with prophylactic and/or therapeutic potential.
KW  - animals under human care
KW  - captivity
KW  - carnivore
KW  - DNA methylation;
KW  - felidae
KW  - free-ranging
KW  - wildlife
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/life12060920
SN  - 2075-1729
VL  - 12
IS  - 6
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  -