Lineage-specific genomic imprinting in the ZNF791 locus [BiSulfite-seq]

To identify genomic imprinting in pigs, we generated parthenogenetic porcine embryos alongside biparental normal embryos, and then performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and RNA sequencing on these samples. In our analyses, we discovered a maternally methylated differentially methylated region within the orthologous ZNF791 locus in pigs, while identifying both a major imprinted isoform of the ZNF791-like gene and an imprinted antisense transcript that has not been previously annotated. Importantly, our comparative analyses of the orthologous ZNF791 gene in various eutherian mammals, including humans, non-human primates, rodents, artiodactyls, and dogs, revealed that this gene is subjected to genomic imprinting exclusively in domesticated animals, thereby highlighting lineage-specific imprinting. Whole genome bisulfite sequencing was performed on parthenogenetically activated embryos and control pig embryos.