2026/06/20 by Chengbin Liu, Xia Fei, Itsuki Hirayama +2 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies #Epigenetics and DNA Methylation #Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s42003-026-10496-2
openalex publication_date 2026/06/20 · openalex created_date 2026/06/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27
Environmental DNA technology has revolutionized biomonitoring, primarily capturing the presence/absence of target taxa. Recent advances have revealed that eDNA also retains epigenetic signatures. In this perspective, we focus on DNA methylation signals in eDNA, which we define as meth-eDNA, and analyze three pivotal topics: (1) Detection of methylation signals in eDNA, (2) stability in aquatic environment, and (3) applications as ecological indicators. This perspective highlights the potential of meth-eDNA in non-invasive population-level trait inference. Future integration with multi-omics and sequencing innovations will achieve more precision in ecosystem conservation and management.