Correlation between DNA methylation and Runx2 expression among
mouse organs. a) A gel image as output from the results of combined bisulfite
restriction analysis (CoBRA) targeting CpG-2,505 in mouse organs. Fragments digested
with HpyCH4IV were loaded onto odd lanes, except for the leftmost lane (showing a
25-bp DNA ladder; M). In the lanes immediately on the left, the fragment without the
digestion is loaded as the experimental control. The PCR product 150 bp long is
digested into fragments with the length of 73 and 77 bp when CpG-2,505 is
methylated. Various rates of methylation are shown as indicating each score below
their lanes. b) A bar chart shows the results of real-time RT-PCR. Columns and their
error bars indicate mean and standard error, respectively, of relative expression
levels of Runx2 mRNA in each organ to the sample mean. c) Each
organ is plotted on the scatter diagram. Vertical and horizontal scales indicate
relative expression levels of Runx2 mRNA and the methylation rate
of CpG-2,505, respectively. A negative correlation was detected between Runx2
expression and CpG-2,505 methylation among mouse organs. ce: cerebellum, sg:
salivary glands, lu: lungs, he: heart, st: stomach, si: small intestine, li: liver,
sp: spleen, ki: kidneys, te: testes, bo: bone, sm: skeletal muscle and sk: skin.