Temperature effects on DNA methylation in threespine stickleback. Gasterosteus aculeatus

Epigenetic mechanisms such as changes in DNA methylation are thought to be a principal mediator of phenotypic plasticity, but little is known about the response of the methylome to changes in environmental temperature in animals. In this study we show that both developmental temperature and adult acclimation temperature alter DNA methylation in threespine stickleback. These data demonstrate that thermal history can have long-lasting effects on the epigenome, and highlight the role of epigenetic modifications in the response to temperature change across multiple time scales.