sounDMR : An epigenomics tool

Epigenetic variation in plant populations is an important factor in determining phenotype and adaptation to the environment. However, molecular and computational tools to profile multiple individual plants at high resolution and low cost are lacking. Here, we describe a computational approach that leverages long read nanopore sequencing to identify and quantify cytosine methylation across a population of plant genomes. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by profiling a population of Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to a demethylating agent and identify genomic regions of high epigenetic variability between individuals. Given the low cost of nanopore sequencing devices and the ease of sample preparation, these results show that high resolution epigenetic profiling of plant populations can be made more broadly accessible in plant breeding and biotechnology.