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Undermethylation associated with retroelement activation and chromosome remodelling in an interspecific mammalian hybrid

Nature volume 393, pages 68–72 (1998)Cite this article

A Corrigendum to this article was published on 07 November 2002

Abstract

Genetic models1,2 predict that genomic rearrangement in hybrids can facilitate reproductive isolation and the formation of new species by preventing gene flow between the parent species and hybrid (sunflowers are an example3). The mechanism underlying hybridization-induced chromosome remodelling is as yet unknown, although mobile element activity has been shown to be involved in DNA rearrangement in some dysgenic Drosophila hybrids4,5. It has been proposed that DNA methylation evolved as a means of repressing the movement of mobile elements (the host defence model6,7). If such a protective mechanism were to fail, mobile elements could be activated, and could cause major and rapid genome alterations8,9. Here we demonstrate the occurrence of genome-wide undermethylation, retroviral element amplification and chromosome remodelling in an interspecific mammalian hybrid (Macropus eugenii × Wallabia bicolor). Atypically extended centromeres of Macropus eugenii derived autosomes in the hybrid were composed primarily of an unmethylated, amplified retroviral element not detectable in either parent species. These results, taken with the observation of deficient methylation and de novo chromosome change in other mammalian hybrids, indicate that the failure of DNA methylation and subsequent mobile-element activity in hybrids could facilitate rapid karyotypic evolution.

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Figure 1: Restriction/methylation analysis of genomic DNA.
Figure 2
Figure 3: Examples of Southern analysis of KERV-1 to genomic DNA digested with MspI and HpaII from several tammar and swamp wallabies.
Figure 4: Fluorescence in situ hybridization of KERV-1 obtained from genomic DNA of the hybrid.
Figure 5: In situ nick-translation on metaphase chromosomes from wallabies.
Figure 6: Digests of genomic DNA from two rock wallaby species and the F1 hybrid between them.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Eldridge for swamp wallaby, tammar wallaby, Petrogale sp. and hybrid material, M. Renfree for tammar wallaby material, and I. Barbieri for cell preparations from BE-1.

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  1. Rachel J. Waugh O'Neill

    Present address: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, 08544, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics and Human Variation, La Trobe University, Bundoora, 3083, Victoria, Australia

    Rachel J. Waugh O'Neill & Jennifer A. Marshall Graves

  2. Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, New Jersey, USA

    Michael J. O'Neill

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Correspondence to Rachel J. Waugh O'Neill.

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O'Neill, R., O'Neill, M. & Graves, J. Undermethylation associated with retroelement activation and chromosome remodelling in an interspecific mammalian hybrid. Nature 393, 68–72 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/29985

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