Methylome analysis of deoxyadenosines in higher eukaryotes

Here, we report that we detected N-6-methyl-deoxyadenosine (dA6m) not only in frog DNA, but also in other species including mouse and humans. Our methylome analysis revealed that dA6m is widely distributed across the eukaryotic genome, and it is present in different cell types. dA6m is commonly depleted in gene exons, whilst it remains abundant in introns. Finally, we have identified the putative consensus sequence, where there is preferential methylation. Since dA6m is a direct modification of DNA, it has the potential to generate a significant impact on different biological areas. Ultimately, our work shows that deoxycytidine modifications might not be the only ones in higher eukaryotes, suggesting that DNA alterations might be more widespread than previously thought. Determining regions of deoxyadenosine methylation in M. musculus kidney and X. laevis fat, oviduct and testes