5-Methylcytosine content in <i>Gryllotalpa fossor</i> (Orthoptera)

Abstract

The MspI-HpaII digestion patterns of Gryllotalpa fossor (Scudder) DNA indicated the methylation of internal cytosine in the sequence 5′ -CCGG-3′. The amount of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) was estimated by HPLC analysis to be about 0.6–0.8%, which constitutes approximately 3% of the total cytosine in the genome. This is the first example of a non-mammalian animal with appreciable levels of 5mC.Key words: insect genome, 5-methylcytosine, DNA methylation.