The Arabidopsis genome comprises some 120 million DNA bases (3% of the size of the human genome) – so the team has developed open-source software to "browse" the genome and find where methylation is controlling gene expression. The program will be able to track more epigenetic data as it is produced, forming a global resource for collecting and analysing it.
They have already begun using these methods for sequencing of the human methylome."
Ecker says that the team will look into how methylation affects the development of human stem cells as they change into other types of cells.
Nutritional Control of Reproductive Status in Honeybees via DNA Methylation
Silencing the expression of DNA methyltransferase Dnmt3, a key driver of epigenetic global reprogramming, in newly hatched larvae led to a royal jelly–like effect on the larval developmental trajectory; the majority of Dnmt3 small interfering RNA–treated individuals emerged as queens with fully developed ovaries. Our results suggest that DNA methylation in Apis is used for storing epigenetic information, that the use of that information can be differentially altered by nutritional input, and that the flexibility of epigenetic modifications underpins, profound shifts in developmental fates, with massive implications for reproductive and behavioral status.