This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The findings of a new study led by the Leibniz-IZW on Namibian free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) demonstrate that epigenetic mechanisms might play an important role in how animals develop different phenotypes despite their low genetic diversity. The work is published in the journal Molecular Ecology.
Male cheetahs begin their adult lives as so-called floaters. They do not occupy a territory but roam over large areas, either alone or in small groups of up to three brothers. Some manage to take over a territory through deadly fights and become territorial males.
Soon after, they alter their phenotype within a couple of months. As territorial males, they become physically stronger, behave more aggressively and move within a significantly smaller area, at the center of which the cheetahs' marking trees are located. The scientists hypothesized that such changes cannot be explained by genetic differences but might be epigenetically controlled.
This means that DNA methylation regulates genes' activity without altering the DNA sequence itself. DNA methylation is the binding of chemical groups to DNA, which can alter the level of gene expression. For the study, the research team used blood samples, weight and age data from the Leibniz-IZW Cheetah Research Project in Namibia.
Blood samples were available from 10 male cheetahs at both life history stages: first, when the animals were still floaters, and later, after they had taken over a territory. This enabled the researchers to identify and compare DNA methylation patterns in the same individuals before and after the transition. "Our initial hypothesis has been supported," says Dr.
Alexandra Weyrich, a scientist in the Department of Evolutionary Genetics at the Leibniz-IZW and one of the two senior authors. "The transition from a floater to a territorial male is indeed accompanied by significant changes in the methylation pattern. It was particularly interesting to see how well the methylated genes grouped in metabolic pathways that were linked to the traits we observed to have changed after the transition." To rule out the possibility that the changes in methylation patterns were merely due to the advanced age of the territorial males, additional analyses were carried out.
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