Cold exposure impacts DNA methylation patterns in cattle sperm

Epigenetic markers, such as DNA methylation, in sperm plays crucial roles in spermatogenesis and fertilization, and a portion of methylation escape the early embryonic genome-wide DNA demethylation and affect later growth and development of offspring. DNA methylation is influenced by various exogenous factors such as nutrition, temperature, toxicants, and stress. The effects of this cold exposure on the methylation dynamics of bovine sperm remain unexamined. Methylation profiles of sperm, collected from bulls during summer and winter seasons were analyzed by Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing (WGBS). Cold exposure during winter does not have a significant effect on the global methylation level, it altered the methylation levels at certain genomic loci and genes that may impact the maintenance of methylation status of imprinted genes and other loci, which may impact the development and growth of offspring. Overall design: Semen samples collect from each of the three bulls during Late Spring (summer) and winter, Total 6 samples