The Relevance of Methylation Profiles of Equine ITGAL Gene

One of epigenetic features of mammalian genomes is methylation of DNA. This nucleotide modification might exert suppressive effect on gene transcription. We have described putative relevance of methylation of one of immune cells related gene (ITGAL) observed in the set of 11 equine tissues. Comparison between qualitative RT-PCR results and DNA bisulfite sequencing of investigated set of tissues pointed to potential correlations between tissue specific methylation and tissue specific transcription in ITGAL locus. These findings might be important for studies on genetic and epigenetic background of autoimmune disorders in the horse.