DNA methylomes of hypothalamus during the onset of puberty in gilts

In gilts, the initiation of puberty, which is driven by the gonadotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus, flags the sexual maturation and the capability of reproduction. Although selection of the early age at puberty in gilts will make for a favorable effect on the reproductivity of sow, a large proportion of phenotypic variation in age at puberty of gilts is not explained by genetics. Previous studies have suggested that hypothalamic DNA methylation exhibits a controlling role during the onset of puberty in mammals. Herein, the genome-scale DNA methylation of hypothalamic methylomes were acquired, using the reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, to compare and describe the dynamics and changes of DNA methylation for Pre-, In- and Post-pubertal gilts.