Integrated analysis of DNA methylome and transcriptome reveals epigenetic regulation of CAM photosynthesis in pineapple

Background: Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis is an important carbon fixation pathway especially in arid environments because it leads to higher water-use efficiency compared to C3 and C4 plants. However, the role of DNA methylation in regulation CAM photosynthesis is not fully understood. Results: Here, we performed temporal DNA methylome and transcriptome analysis of non-photosynthetic (white base) and photosynthetic (green tip) tissues of pineapple leaf. The DNA methylation patterns and levels in these two tissues were generally similar for the CG and CHG cytosine sequence contexts. However, CHH methylation was reduced in white base leaf tissue compared with green tip tissue across diel time course in both gene and transposon regions. We identified thousands of local differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between green tip and white base at different diel periods. We also showed that thousands of genes that overlapped with DMRs were differentially expressed between white base and green tip leaf tissue across diel time course, including several important CAM pathway-related genes, such as beta-CA, PEPC, PPCK, and MDH. Conclusions: Together, these detailed DNA methylome and transcriptome maps provide insight into DNA methylation changes and enhance our understanding of the relationships between DNA methylation and CAM photosynthesis.

Automated summary

The study investigated the role of DNA methylation in regulating CAM photosynthesis by analyzing the DNA methylome and transcriptome of pineapple leaves. Differences in DNA methylation patterns and gene expression levels were observed between non-photosynthetic and photosynthetic tissues, with thousands of genes related to the CAM pathway showing differential methylation and expression levels.