DNA methylation at discrete CpGs and genes involved in embryonic development is related to bull fertility

Despite a multifactorial approach being taken for the evaluation of bull semen quality in many animal breeding centres worldwide, reliable prediction of bull fertility is still a challenge. Recently, attention has turned to molecular mechanisms, which could uncover potential biomarkers of fertility. One of these mechanisms is DNA methylation, which together with other epigenetic mechanisms is essential for the fertilising sperm to drive normal embryo development and establish a viable pregnancy. In this study we hypothesised that bull sperm DNA methylation patterns are related to bull fertility. We therefore investigated DNA methylation patterns from bulls used in artificial insemination with contrasting fertility scores.