DNA methylation patterns in the tobacco budworm, Chloridea virescens

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that is prone to stochastic variation and is responsive to environmental factors. Yet changes in DNA methylation could persist across generations and thus play an important role in evolution. In this study, we used methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphisms (MS-AFLP) to evaluate whether DNA methylation could contribute to the evolution of the sexual communication signal in the noctuid moth Chloridea virescens. We found that most DNA methylation was consistent across tissues, although some methylation sites were specifically found in pheromone glands. We also found significant DNA methylation differences among families and two pheromone phenotype selection lines, and these differences correlated with genetic variation. Most DNA methylation patterns were inherited, although some sites were subject to spontaneous de novo DNA methylation across generations. Thus, DNA methylation likely plays a role in a wide range of processes in moths. Together, our results present an important initial step towards understanding the potential role of DNA methylation in the evolution of sexual communication signals in moths.