DNA methylomes of ovaries during pubertal transition in gilts

In female mammals, the initiation of puberty, coupling with the dramatically morphological changes in ovaries, indicates the sexual and follicular maturation. In girls, the delayed puberty appears to have harmful effects on adult health outcomes. Previous studies have suggested that the disrupted DNA methylation results in the delayed puberty. However, to date, the changes in ovarian methylomes during pubertal transition have not been investigated. In this study, using gilts as a pubertal model, the genome-wide DNA methylation were profiled to explore their dynamics during pubertal transition across Pre-, In- and Post-puberty.