A 5-Methylcytosine Site of Growth Differentiation Factor 9 (GDF9) Gene Affects Its Tissue-Specific Expression in Sheep

Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) is an important gene for ovine fertility. GDF9 is highly expressed in the ovary as opposed to other tissues, but the reason for this is unknown. Our study found this can be caused by the methylation level of the promoter CpG island mC-4 site. This finding contributes to the understanding of the regulatory mechanism of GDF9 gene in reproduction