Although some studies have investigated the DNA methylation modification in goat ovaries, it is not understood DNA methylation related to goat litter size. This investigation was designed to explore the DNA methylation status in the ovaries of high litter size and low litter size groups using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS). We found that there was global difference on DNA methylation in high litter size and low litter size goat ovaries. Many differentially methylated region-related genes (DMGs) were found in the ovaries of these two different goat populations. Moreover, enrichment analysis discovered that many DMGs were involved in gamete development, reproductive system development, wingless-type MMTV integration site family (WNT) signalling pathways and mitogen-activated protein kinase 1 (MAPK) signalling pathways. The data indicated that DNA methylation in goat ovaries may play important roles in the folliculogenesis, the oocyte ovulation rate and finally the litter size. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in ovaries of high and low litter size goat which helps the understanding of ovarian DNA methylation in relation to goat fertility capability.

中文翻译：

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两种不同窝产仔数山羊卵巢 DNA 甲基化的全基因组图谱

尽管一些研究调查了山羊卵巢中的 DNA 甲基化修饰，但尚不清楚 DNA 甲基化与山羊产仔数有关。本研究旨在使用全基因组亚硫酸氢盐测序 (WGBS) 探索高产仔数和低产仔数组卵巢中的 DNA 甲基化状态。我们发现高产仔数和低产仔数山羊卵巢的 DNA 甲基化存在全球差异。在这两个不同山羊种群的卵巢中发现了许多差异甲基化区域相关基因 (DMG)。此外，富集分析发现许多DMG参与配子发育、生殖系统发育、无翼型MMTV整合位点家族（WNT）信号通路和丝裂原活化蛋白激酶1（MAPK）信号通路。数据表明，山羊卵巢中的 DNA 甲基化可能在卵泡发生、卵母细胞排卵率和窝产仔数中起重要作用。本研究全面分析了高产和低产仔山羊卵巢中的全基因组 DNA 甲基化模式，有助于了解与山羊生育能力相关的卵巢 DNA 甲基化。