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Zeng Y, Somers J, Bell HS, Vejlupkova Z, Dawe RK, Fowler JE, Nelms B, Gent JI. Potent pollen gene regulation by DNA glycosylases in maize. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.02.13.580204. [PMID: 38405940 PMCID: PMC10888782 DOI: 10.1101/2024.02.13.580204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Although DNA methylation primarily represses TEs, it also represses select genes that are methylated in plant body tissues but demethylated by DNA glycosylases (DNGs) in endosperm or pollen. Activity of either one of two DNGs, MDR1 or DNG102, is essential for pollen viability in maize. Using single-pollen mRNA sequencing on pollen segregating mutations in both genes, we identified 58 candidate DNG target genes that account for 11.1% of the wild-type transcriptome but are silent or barely detectable in the plant body (sporophyte). They are unusual in their tendency to lack introns but even more so in their having TE-like methylation in their CDS. The majority have predicted functions in cell wall modification, and they likely support the rapid tip growth characteristic of pollen tubes. These results suggest a critical role for DNA methylation and demethylation in regulating maize genes with potential for extremely high expression in pollen but constitutive silencing elsewhere.
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Frost JM, Rhee JH, Choi Y. Dynamics of DNA methylation and its impact on plant embryogenesis. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 81:102593. [PMID: 38941722 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Flowering plants exhibit unique DNA methylation dynamics during development. Particular attention can be focused on seed development and the embryo, which represents the starting point of the sporophytic life cycle. A build-up of CHH methylation is now recognized as highly characteristic of embryo development. This process is thought to occur in order to silence potentially harmful transposable element expression, though roles in promoting seed dormancy and dessication tolerance have also been revealed. Recent studies show that increased CHH methylation in embryos inhabits both novel loci, unmethylated elsewhere in the plant, as well as shared loci, exhibiting more dense methylation. The role of DNA methylation in cis-regulatory gene regulation in plants is less well established compared to mammals, and here we discuss both transposable element regulation and the potential role of DNA methylation in dynamic gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Frost
- Medical and Molecular Genetics, King's College London, St Thomas' Street, London SE1 9RT, UK.
| | - Ji Hoon Rhee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea; Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yeonhee Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea; Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.
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3
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Kerckhofs E, Schubert D. Conserved functions of chromatin regulators in basal Archaeplastida. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 118:1301-1311. [PMID: 37680033 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin is a dynamic network that regulates genome organization and gene expression. Different types of chromatin regulators are highly conserved among Archaeplastida, including unicellular algae, while some chromatin genes are only present in land plant genomes. Here, we review recent advances in understanding the function of conserved chromatin factors in basal land plants and algae. We focus on the role of Polycomb-group genes which mediate H3K27me3-based silencing and play a role in balancing gene dosage and regulating haploid-to-diploid transitions by tissue-specific repression of the transcription factors KNOX and BELL in many representatives of the green lineage. Moreover, H3K27me3 predominantly occupies repetitive elements which can lead to their silencing in a unicellular alga and basal land plants, while it covers mostly protein-coding genes in higher land plants. In addition, we discuss the role of nuclear matrix constituent proteins as putative functional lamin analogs that are highly conserved among land plants and might have an ancestral function in stress response regulation. In summary, our review highlights the importance of studying chromatin regulation in a wide range of organisms in the Archaeplastida.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Kerckhofs
- Epigenetics of Plants, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel Schubert
- Epigenetics of Plants, Institute for Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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4
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Harkess A, Bewick AJ, Lu Z, Fourounjian P, Michael TP, Schmitz RJ, Meyers BC. The unusual predominance of maintenance DNA methylation in Spirodela polyrhiza. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2024; 14:jkae004. [PMID: 38190722 PMCID: PMC10989885 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Duckweeds are among the fastest reproducing plants, able to clonally divide at exponential rates. However, the genetic and epigenetic impact of clonality on plant genomes is poorly understood. 5-methylcytosine (5mC) is a modified base often described as necessary for the proper regulation of certain genes and transposons and for the maintenance of genome integrity in plants. However, the extent of this dogma is limited by the current phylogenetic sampling of land plant species diversity. Here we analyzed DNA methylomes, small RNAs, mRNA-seq, and H3K9me2 histone modification for Spirodela polyrhiza. S. polyrhiza has lost highly conserved genes involved in de novo methylation of DNA at sites often associated with repetitive DNA, and within genes, however, symmetrical DNA methylation and heterochromatin are maintained during cell division at certain transposons and repeats. Consequently, small RNAs that normally guide methylation to silence repetitive DNA like retrotransposons are diminished. Despite the loss of a highly conserved methylation pathway, and the reduction of small RNAs that normally target repetitive DNA, transposons have not proliferated in the genome, perhaps due in part to the rapid, clonal growth lifestyle of duckweeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Harkess
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, MO 63132, USA
| | - Adam J Bewick
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Zefu Lu
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Paul Fourounjian
- Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Todd P Michael
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Robert J Schmitz
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Blake C Meyers
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, MO 63132, USA
- Division of Plant Sciences, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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Rajabhoj MP, Sankar S, Bondada R, Shanmukhan AP, Prasad K, Maruthachalam R. Gametophytic epigenetic regulators, MEDEA and DEMETER, synergistically suppress ectopic shoot formation in Arabidopsis. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2024; 43:68. [PMID: 38341844 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-024-03159-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
KEY MESSAGE The gametophytic epigenetic regulators, MEA and DME, extend their synergistic role to the sporophytic development by regulating the meristematic activity via restricting the gene expression in the shoot apex. The gametophyte-to-sporophyte transition facilitates the alternation of generations in a plant life cycle. The epigenetic regulators DEMETER (DME) and MEDEA (MEA) synergistically control central cell proliferation and differentiation, ensuring proper gametophyte-to-sporophyte transition in Arabidopsis. Mutant alleles of DME and MEA are female gametophyte lethal, eluding the recovery of recessive homozygotes to examine their role in the sporophyte. Here, we exploited the paternal transmission of these mutant alleles coupled with CENH3-haploid inducer to generate mea-1;dme-2 sporophytes. Strikingly, the simultaneous loss of function of MEA and DME leads to the emergence of ectopic shoot meristems at the apical pole of the plant body axis. DME and MEA are expressed in the developing shoot apex and regulate the expression of various shoot-promoting factors. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), DNA methylation, and gene expression analysis revealed several shoot regulators as potential targets of MEA and DME. RNA interference-mediated transcriptional downregulation of shoot-promoting factors STM, CUC2, and PLT5 rescued the twin-plant phenotype to WT in 9-23% of mea-1-/-;dme-2-/- plants. Our findings reveal a previously unrecognized synergistic role of MEA and DME in restricting the meristematic activity at the shoot apex during sporophytic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohit P Rajabhoj
- School of Biology, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695551, India
| | - Sudev Sankar
- School of Biology, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695551, India
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology & Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ramesh Bondada
- School of Biology, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695551, India
| | | | - Kalika Prasad
- Department of Biology, IISER Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, 411008, India.
| | - Ravi Maruthachalam
- School of Biology, IISER Thiruvananthapuram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, 695551, India.
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Mahmood T, He S, Abdullah M, Sajjad M, Jia Y, Ahmar S, Fu G, Chen B, Du X. Epigenetic insight into floral transition and seed development in plants. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 339:111926. [PMID: 37984609 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Seasonal changes are crucial in shifting the developmental stages from the vegetative phase to the reproductive phase in plants, enabling them to flower under optimal conditions. Plants grown at different latitudes sense and interpret these seasonal variations, such as changes in day length (photoperiod) and exposure to cold winter temperatures (vernalization). These environmental factors influence the expression of various genes related to flowering. Plants have evolved to stimulate a rapid response to environmental conditions through genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Multiple epigenetic regulation systems have emerged in plants to interpret environmental signals. During the transition to the flowering phase, changes in gene expression are facilitated by chromatin remodeling and small RNAs interference, particularly in annual and perennial plants. Key flowering regulators, such as FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) and FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), interact with various factors and undergo chromatin remodeling in response to seasonal cues. The Polycomb silencing complex (PRC) controls the expression of flowering-related genes in photoperiodic flowering regulation. Under vernalization-dependent flowering, FLC acts as a potent flowering suppressor by downregulating the gene expression of various flower-promoting genes. Eventually, PRCs are critically involved in the regulation of FLC and FT locus interacting with several key genes in photoperiod and vernalization. Subsequently, PRCs also regulate Epigenetical events during gametogenesis and seed development as a driving force. Furthermore, DNA methylation in the context of CHG, CG, and CHH methylation plays a critical role in embryogenesis. DNA glycosylase DME (DEMETER) is responsible for demethylation during seed development. Thus, the review briefly discusses flowering regulation through light signaling, day length variation, temperature variation and seed development in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahir Mahmood
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang (CAAS), Anyang 455000, China; Shenzhen Branch, Guangdong Laboratory of Lingnan Modern Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shoupu He
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang (CAAS), Anyang 455000, China
| | - Muhammad Abdullah
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Muhammad Sajjad
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang (CAAS), Anyang 455000, China
| | - Yinhua Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang (CAAS), Anyang 455000, China
| | - Sunny Ahmar
- Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, Jagiellonska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland
| | - Guoyong Fu
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang (CAAS), Anyang 455000, China
| | - Baojun Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang (CAAS), Anyang 455000, China
| | - Xiongming Du
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang (CAAS), Anyang 455000, China.
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7
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Frost JM, Lee J, Hsieh PH, Lin SJH, Min Y, Bauer M, Runkel AM, Cho HT, Hsieh TF, Fischer RL, Choi Y. H2A.X promotes endosperm-specific DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 23:585. [PMID: 37993808 PMCID: PMC10664615 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-023-04596-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND H2A.X is an H2A variant histone in eukaryotes, unique for its ability to respond to DNA damage, initiating the DNA repair pathway. H2A.X replacement within the histone octamer is mediated by the FAcilitates Chromatin Transactions (FACT) complex, a key chromatin remodeler. FACT is required for DEMETER (DME)-mediated DNA demethylation at certain loci in Arabidopsis thaliana female gametophytes during reproduction. Here, we sought to investigate whether H2A.X is involved in DME- and FACT-mediated DNA demethylation during reproduction. RESULTS H2A.X is encoded by two genes in Arabidopsis genome, HTA3 and HTA5. We generated h2a.x double mutants, which displayed a normal growth profile, whereby flowering time, seed development, and root tip organization, S-phase progression and proliferation were all normal. However, h2a.x mutants were more sensitive to genotoxic stress, consistent with previous reports. H2A.X fused to Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) under the H2A.X promoter was highly expressed especially in newly developing Arabidopsis tissues, including in male and female gametophytes, where DME is also expressed. We examined DNA methylation in h2a.x developing seeds and seedlings using whole genome bisulfite sequencing, and found that CG DNA methylation is decreased genome-wide in h2a.x mutant endosperm. Hypomethylation was most striking in transposon bodies, and occurred on both parental alleles in the developing endosperm, but not the embryo or seedling. h2a.x-mediated hypomethylated sites overlapped DME targets, but also included other loci, predominately located in heterochromatic transposons and intergenic DNA. CONCLUSIONS Our genome-wide methylation analyses suggest that H2A.X could function in preventing access of the DME demethylase to non-canonical sites. Overall, our data suggest that H2A.X is required to maintain DNA methylation homeostasis in the unique chromatin environment of the Arabidopsis endosperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Frost
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Present Address: Genomics and Child Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
| | - Jaehoon Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Ping-Hung Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Present Address: DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Samuel J H Lin
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Yunsook Min
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Matthew Bauer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Anne M Runkel
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Hyung-Taeg Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Tzung-Fu Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, North Carolina Research Campus, Kannapolis, NC, USA
| | - Robert L Fischer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Yeonhee Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
- Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
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8
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Liu B, Zhao M. How transposable elements are recognized and epigenetically silenced in plants? CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 75:102428. [PMID: 37481986 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Plant genomes are littered with transposable elements (TEs). Because TEs are potentially highly mutagenic, host organisms have evolved a set of defense mechanisms to recognize and epigenetically silence them. Although the maintenance of TE silencing is well studied, our understanding of the initiation of TE silencing is limited, but it clearly involves small RNAs and DNA methylation. Once TEs are silent, the silent state can be maintained to subsequent generations. However, under some circumstances, such inheritance is unstable, leading to the escape of TEs to the silencing machinery, resulting in the transcriptional activation of TEs. Epigenetic control of TEs has been found to be closely linked to many other epigenetic phenomena, such as genomic imprinting, and is known to contribute to regulation of genes, especially those near TEs. Here we review and discuss the current models of TE silencing, its unstable inheritance after hybridization, and the effects of epigenetic regulation of TEs on genomic imprinting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beibei Liu
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056, USA
| | - Meixia Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
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Pachamuthu K, Borges F. Epigenetic control of transposons during plant reproduction: From meiosis to hybrid seeds. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 75:102419. [PMID: 37480640 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2023.102419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023]
Abstract
The regulation of transposable elements (TEs) requires overlapping epigenetic modifications that must be reinforced every cell division and generation. In plants, this is achieved by multiple pathways including small RNAs, DNA methylation, and repressive histone marks that act together to control TE expression and activity throughout the entire life cycle. However, transient TE activation is observed during reproductive transitions as a result of epigenome reprogramming, thus providing windows of opportunity for TE proliferation and epigenetic novelty. Ultimately, these events may originate complex TE-driven transcriptional networks or cell-to-cell communication strategies via mobile small RNAs. In this review, we discuss recent findings and current understanding of TE regulation during sexual plant reproduction, and its implications for fertility, early seed development, and epigenetic inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kannan Pachamuthu
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000, Versailles, France. https://twitter.com/@KannanPachamut1
| | - Filipe Borges
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000, Versailles, France.
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Liufu Y, Xi F, Wu L, Zhang Z, Wang H, Wang H, Zhang J, Wang B, Kou W, Gao J, Zhao L, Zhang H, Gu L. Inhibition of DNA and RNA methylation disturbs root development of moso bamboo. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 43:1653-1674. [PMID: 37294626 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation (5mC) and N6-methyladenosine (m6A) are two important epigenetics regulators, which have a profound impact on plant growth development. Phyllostachys edulis (P. edulis) is one of the fastest spreading plants due to its well-developed root system. However, the association between 5mC and m6A has seldom been reported in P. edulis. In particular, the connection between m6A and several post-transcriptional regulators remains uncharacterized in P. edulis. Here, our morphological and electron microscope observations showed the phenotype of increased lateral root under RNA methylation inhibitor (DZnepA) and DNA methylation inhibitor (5-azaC) treatment. RNA epitranscriptome based on Nanopore direct RNA sequencing revealed that DZnepA treatment exhibits significantly decreased m6A level in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR), which was accompanied by increased gene expression, full-length ratio, higher proximal poly(A) site usage and shorter poly(A) tail length. DNA methylation levels of CG and CHG were reduced in both coding sequencing and transposable element upon 5-azaC treatment. Cell wall synthesis was impaired under methylation inhibition. In particular, differentially expressed genes showed a high percentage of overlap between DZnepA and 5-azaC treatment, which suggested a potential correlation between two methylations. This study provides preliminary information for a better understanding of the link between m6A and 5mC in root development of moso bamboo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxiang Liufu
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Feihu Xi
- College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Lin Wu
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Zeyu Zhang
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Huihui Wang
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Huiyuan Wang
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Jun Zhang
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Baijie Wang
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Wenjing Kou
- College of Forestry, Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
| | - Jian Gao
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo and Rattan Science and Technology, State Forestry Administration, International Center for Bamboo and Rattan, Beijing 100102, China
| | - Liangzhen Zhao
- College of Life Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Hangxiao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bamboo and Rattan Science and Technology, State Forestry Administration, International Center for Bamboo and Rattan, Beijing 100102, China
| | - Lianfeng Gu
- Basic Forestry and Proteomics Research Center, College of Forestry, School of Future Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, No. 15 Shangxiadian Road, Cangshan District, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province 350002, China
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11
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Lee J, Lee S, Park K, Shin SY, Frost JM, Hsieh PH, Shin C, Fischer RL, Hsieh TF, Choi Y. Distinct regulatory pathways contribute to dynamic CHH methylation patterns in transposable elements throughout Arabidopsis embryogenesis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1204279. [PMID: 37360705 PMCID: PMC10285158 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1204279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
CHH methylation (mCHH) increases gradually during embryogenesis across dicotyledonous plants, indicating conserved mechanisms of targeting and conferral. Although it is suggested that methylation increase during embryogenesis enhances transposable element silencing, the detailed epigenetic pathways underlying this process remain unclear. In Arabidopsis, mCHH is regulated by both small RNA-dependent DNA methylation (RdDM) and RNA-independent Chromomethylase 2 (CMT2) pathways. Here, we conducted DNA methylome profiling at five stages of Arabidopsis embryogenesis, and classified mCHH regions into groups based on their dependency on different methylation pathways. Our analysis revealed that the gradual increase in mCHH in embryos coincided with the expansion of small RNA expression and regional mCHH spreading to nearby sites at numerous loci. We identified distinct methylation dynamics in different groups of mCHH targets, which vary according to transposon length, location, and cytosine frequency. Finally, we highlight the characteristics of transposable element loci that are targeted by different mCHH machinery, showing that short, heterochromatic TEs with lower mCHG levels are enriched in loci that switch from CMT2 regulation in leaves, to RdDM regulation during embryogenesis. Our findings highlight the interplay between the length, location, and cytosine frequency of transposons and the mCHH machinery in modulating mCHH dynamics during embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaehoon Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Seunga Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyunghyuk Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Yoon Shin
- Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jennifer M. Frost
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Ping-Hung Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Chanseok Shin
- Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Robert L. Fischer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Tzung-Fu Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United States
| | - Yeonhee Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Research Center for Plant Plasticity, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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12
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Frost JM, Lee J, Hsieh PH, Lin SJH, Min Y, Bauer M, Runkel AM, Cho HT, Hsieh TF, Fischer RL, Choi Y. H2A.X promotes endosperm-specific DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2974671. [PMID: 37333181 PMCID: PMC10275051 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2974671/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Background H2A.X is an H2A variant histone in eukaryotes, unique for its ability to respond to DNA damage, initiating the DNA repair pathway. H2A.X replacement within the histone octamer is mediated by the FAcilitates Chromatin Transactions (FACT) complex, a key chromatin remodeler. FACT is required for DEMETER (DME)-mediated DNA demethylation at certain loci in Arabidopsis thaliana female gametophytes during reproduction. Here, we sought to investigate whether H2A.X is involved in DME- and FACT-mediated DNA demethylation during reproduction. Results H2A.X is encoded by two genes in Arabidopsis genome, HTA3 and HTA5. We generated h2a.x double mutants, which displayed a normal growth profile, whereby flowering time, seed development, and root tip organization, S-phase progression and proliferation were all normal. However, h2a.x mutants were more sensitive to genotoxic stress, consistent with previous reports. H2A.X fused to Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) under the H2A.X promoter was highly expressed especially in newly developing Arabidopsis tissues, including in male and female gametophytes, where DME is also expressed. We examined DNA methylation in h2a.x developing seeds and seedlings using whole genome bisulfite sequencing, and found that CG DNA methylation is decreased genome-wide in h2a.x mutant seeds. Hypomethylation was most striking in transposon bodies, and occurred on both parental alleles in the developing endosperm, but not the embryo or seedling. h2a.x-mediated hypomethylated sites overlapped DME targets, but also included other loci, predominately located in heterochromatic transposons and intergenic DNA. Conclusions Our genome-wide methylation analyses suggest that H2A.X could function in preventing access of the DME demethylase to non-canonical sites. Alternatively, H2A.X may be involved in recruiting methyltransferases to those sites. Overall, our data suggest that H2A.X is required to maintain DNA methylation homeostasis in the unique chromatin environment of the Arabidopsis endosperm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Frost
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Jaehoon Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University
| | - Ping-Hung Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Samuel J H Lin
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Yunsook Min
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University
| | - Matthew Bauer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Anne M Runkel
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Hyung-Taeg Cho
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University
| | - Tzung-Fu Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University
| | - Robert L Fischer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Yeonhee Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University
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13
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Chow HT, Mosher RA. Small RNA-mediated DNA methylation during plant reproduction. THE PLANT CELL 2023; 35:1787-1800. [PMID: 36651080 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Reproductive tissues are a rich source of small RNAs, including several classes of short interfering (si)RNAs that are restricted to this stage of development. In addition to RNA polymerase IV-dependent 24-nt siRNAs that trigger canonical RNA-directed DNA methylation, abundant reproductive-specific siRNAs are produced from companion cells adjacent to the developing germ line or zygote and may move intercellularly before inducing methylation. In some cases, these siRNAs are produced via non-canonical biosynthesis mechanisms or from sequences with little similarity to transposons. While the precise role of these siRNAs and the methylation they trigger is unclear, they have been implicated in specifying a single megaspore mother cell, silencing transposons in the male germ line, mediating parental dosage conflict to ensure proper endosperm development, hypermethylation of mature embryos, and trans-chromosomal methylation in hybrids. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of reproductive siRNAs, including their biosynthesis, transport, and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiu Tung Chow
- The School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0036, USA
| | - Rebecca A Mosher
- The School of Plant Sciences, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721-0036, USA
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14
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Flores-Tornero M, Becker JD. 50 years of sperm cell isolations: from structural to omic studies. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023:erad117. [PMID: 37025026 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The fusion of male and female gametes is a fundamental process in the perpetuation and diversification of species. During the last 50 years, significant efforts have been made to isolate and characterize sperm cells from flowering plants, and to identify how these cells interact with female gametes to achieve double fertilization. The first techniques and analytical approaches not only provided structural and biochemical characterizations of plant sperm cells but also paved the way for in vitro fertilization studies. Further technological advances then led to unique insights into sperm biology at transcriptomic, proteomic and epigenetic level. Starting with a historical overview of sperm cell isolation techniques, we provide examples of how these contributed to create our current knowledge of sperm cell biology, and point out remaining challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Flores-Tornero
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, 2780-157 Portugal
| | - Jörg D Becker
- Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, Oeiras, 2780-157 Portugal
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15
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Feng X, Pan S, Tu H, Huang J, Xiao C, Shen X, You L, Zhao X, Chen Y, Xu D, Qu X, Hu H. IQ67 DOMAIN protein 21 is critical for indentation formation in pavement cell morphogenesis. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 65:721-738. [PMID: 36263896 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In plants, cortical microtubules anchor to the plasma membrane in arrays and play important roles in cell shape. However, the molecular mechanism of microtubule binding proteins, which connect the plasma membrane and cortical microtubules in cell morphology remains largely unknown. Here, we report that a plasma membrane and microtubule dual-localized IQ67 domain protein, IQD21, is critical for cotyledon pavement cell (PC) morphogenesis in Arabidopsis. iqd21 mutation caused increased indentation width, decreased lobe length, and similar lobe number of PCs, whereas IQD21 overexpression had a different effect on cotyledon PC shape. Weak overexpression led to increased lobe number, decreased indentation width, and similar lobe length, while moderate or great overexpression resulted in decreased lobe number, indentation width, and lobe length of PCs. Live-cell observations revealed that IQD21 accumulation at indentation regions correlates with lobe initiation and outgrowth during PC development. Cell biological and genetic approaches revealed that IQD21 promotes transfacial microtubules anchoring to the plasma membrane via its polybasic sites and bundling at the indentation regions in both periclinal and anticlinal walls. IQD21 controls cortical microtubule organization mainly through promoting Katanin 1-mediated microtubule severing during PC interdigitation. These findings provide the genetic evidence that transfacial microtubule arrays play a determinant role in lobe formation, and the insight into the molecular mechanism of IQD21 in transfacial microtubule organization at indentations and puzzle-shaped PC development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinhua Feng
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Shujuan Pan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Haifu Tu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Junjie Huang
- Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Chuanlei Xiao
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xin Shen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Lei You
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xinyan Zhao
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201602, China
| | - Yongqiang Chen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Danyun Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Xiaolu Qu
- Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology (MOE), College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Honghong Hu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
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16
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Li T, Yin L, Stoll CE, Lisch D, Zhao M. Conserved noncoding sequences and de novo Mutator insertion alleles are imprinted in maize. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 191:299-316. [PMID: 36173333 PMCID: PMC9806621 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon in which differential allele expression occurs in a parent-of-origin-dependent manner. Imprinting in plants is tightly linked to transposable elements (TEs), and it has been hypothesized that genomic imprinting may be a consequence of demethylation of TEs. Here, we performed high-throughput sequencing of ribonucleic acids from four maize (Zea mays) endosperms that segregated newly silenced Mutator (Mu) transposons and identified 110 paternally expressed imprinted genes (PEGs) and 139 maternally expressed imprinted genes (MEGs). Additionally, two potentially novel paternally suppressed MEGs are associated with de novo Mu insertions. In addition, we find evidence for parent-of-origin effects on expression of 407 conserved noncoding sequences (CNSs) in maize endosperm. The imprinted CNSs are largely localized within genic regions and near genes, but the imprinting status of the CNSs are largely independent of their associated genes. Both imprinted CNSs and PEGs have been subject to relaxed selection. However, our data suggest that although MEGs were already subject to a higher mutation rate prior to their being imprinted, imprinting may be the cause of the relaxed selection of PEGs. In addition, although DNA methylation is lower in the maternal alleles of both the maternally and paternally expressed CNSs (mat and pat CNSs), the difference between the two alleles in H3K27me3 levels was only observed in pat CNSs. Together, our findings point to the importance of both transposons and CNSs in genomic imprinting in maize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Li
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, National Maize Improvement Center, Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, P.R. China
| | - Liangwei Yin
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA
| | - Claire E Stoll
- Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA
| | - Damon Lisch
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Meixia Zhao
- Department of Microbiology and Cell Science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
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17
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Han Q, Hung YH, Zhang C, Bartels A, Rea M, Yang H, Park C, Zhang XQ, Fischer RL, Xiao W, Hsieh TF. Loss of linker histone H1 in the maternal genome influences DEMETER-mediated demethylation and affects the endosperm DNA methylation landscape. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1070397. [PMID: 36618671 PMCID: PMC9813442 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1070397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The Arabidopsis DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase demethylates the central cell genome prior to fertilization. This epigenetic reconfiguration of the female gamete companion cell establishes gene imprinting in the endosperm and is essential for seed viability. DME demethylates small and genic-flanking transposons as well as intergenic and heterochromatin sequences, but how DME is recruited to these loci remains unknown. H1.2 was identified as a DME-interacting protein in a yeast two-hybrid screen, and maternal genome H1 loss affects DNA methylation and expression of selected imprinted genes in the endosperm. Yet, the extent to which H1 influences DME demethylation and gene imprinting in the Arabidopsis endosperm has not been investigated. Here, we showed that without the maternal linker histones, DME-mediated demethylation is facilitated, particularly in the heterochromatin regions, indicating that H1-bound heterochromatins are barriers for DME demethylation. Loss of H1 in the maternal genome has a very limited effect on gene transcription or gene imprinting regulation in the endosperm; however, it variably influences euchromatin TE methylation and causes a slight hypermethylation and a reduced expression in selected imprinted genes. We conclude that loss of maternal H1 indirectly influences DME-mediated demethylation and endosperm DNA methylation landscape but does not appear to affect endosperm gene transcription and overall imprinting regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Han
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Yu-Hung Hung
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United States
| | - Changqing Zhang
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United States
| | - Arthur Bartels
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Matthew Rea
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Hanwen Yang
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Christine Park
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Xiang-Qian Zhang
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United States
- College of Food Science and Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, China
| | - Robert L. Fischer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
| | - Wenyan Xiao
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Tzung-Fu Hsieh
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Plants for Human Health Institute, North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC, United States
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18
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Zhang H, Gong Z, Zhu JK. Active DNA demethylation in plants: 20 years of discovery and beyond. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 64:2217-2239. [PMID: 36478523 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Maintaining proper DNA methylation levels in the genome requires active demethylation of DNA. However, removing the methyl group from a modified cytosine is chemically difficult and therefore, the underlying mechanism of demethylation had remained unclear for many years. The discovery of the first eukaryotic DNA demethylase, Arabidopsis thaliana REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1), led to elucidation of the 5-methylcytosine base excision repair mechanism of active DNA demethylation. In the 20 years since ROS1 was discovered, our understanding of this active DNA demethylation pathway, as well as its regulation and biological functions in plants, has greatly expanded. These exciting developments have laid the groundwork for further dissecting the regulatory mechanisms of active DNA demethylation, with potential applications in epigenome editing to facilitate crop breeding and gene therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Plant Genetics, Shanghai Centre for Plant Stress Biology, Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200032, China
| | - Zhizhong Gong
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science and Green Development, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, China
| | - Jian-Kang Zhu
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Advanced Biotechnology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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19
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He S, Feng X. DNA methylation dynamics during germline development. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 64:2240-2251. [PMID: 36478632 PMCID: PMC10108260 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation plays essential homeostatic functions in eukaryotic genomes. In animals, DNA methylation is also developmentally regulated and, in turn, regulates development. In the past two decades, huge research effort has endorsed the understanding that DNA methylation plays a similar role in plant development, especially during sexual reproduction. The power of whole-genome sequencing and cell isolation techniques, as well as bioinformatics tools, have enabled recent studies to reveal dynamic changes in DNA methylation during germline development. Furthermore, the combination of these technological advances with genetics, developmental biology and cell biology tools has revealed functional methylation reprogramming events that control gene and transposon activities in flowering plant germlines. In this review, we discuss the major advances in our knowledge of DNA methylation dynamics during male and female germline development in flowering plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengbo He
- Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, College of AgricultureSouth China Agricultural UniversityGuangzhou510642China
| | - Xiaoqi Feng
- John Innes Centre, Colney LaneNorwichNR4 7UHUK
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20
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Ichino L, Picard CL, Yun J, Chotai M, Wang S, Lin EK, Papareddy RK, Xue Y, Jacobsen SE. Single-nucleus RNA-seq reveals that MBD5, MBD6, and SILENZIO maintain silencing in the vegetative cell of developing pollen. Cell Rep 2022; 41:111699. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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21
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Tirot L, Jullien PE. Epigenetic dynamics during sexual reproduction: At the nexus of developmental control and genomic integrity. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 69:102278. [PMID: 35970063 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2022.102278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic marks influence gene regulation and genomic stability via the repression of transposable elements. During sexual reproduction, tight regulation of the epigenome must take place to maintain the repression of transposable elements while still allowing changes in cell-specific transcriptional programs. In plants, epigenetic marks are reorganized during reproduction and a reinforcing mechanism takes place to ensure transposable elements silencing. In this review, we describe the latest advances in characterizing the cell-specific epigenetic changes occurring from sporogenesis to seed development, with a focus on DNA methylation. We highlight the epigenetic co-regulation between transposable elements and developmental genes at different stages of plant reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Tirot
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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22
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Gent JI, Higgins KM, Swentowsky KW, Fu FF, Zeng Y, Kim DW, Dawe RK, Springer NM, Anderson SN. The maize gene maternal derepression of r1 encodes a DNA glycosylase that demethylates DNA and reduces siRNA expression in the endosperm. THE PLANT CELL 2022; 34:3685-3701. [PMID: 35775949 PMCID: PMC9516051 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koac199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Demethylation of transposons can activate the expression of nearby genes and cause imprinted gene expression in the endosperm; this demethylation is hypothesized to lead to expression of transposon small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that reinforce silencing in the next generation through transfer either into egg or embryo. Here we describe maize (Zea mays) maternal derepression of r1 (mdr1), which encodes a DNA glycosylase with homology to Arabidopsis thaliana DEMETER and which is partially responsible for demethylation of thousands of regions in endosperm. Instead of promoting siRNA expression in endosperm, MDR1 activity inhibits it. Methylation of most repetitive DNA elements in endosperm is not significantly affected by MDR1, with an exception of Helitrons. While maternally-expressed imprinted genes preferentially overlap with MDR1 demethylated regions, the majority of genes that overlap demethylated regions are not imprinted. Double mutant megagametophytes lacking both MDR1 and its close homolog DNG102 result in early seed failure, and double mutant microgametophytes fail pre-fertilization. These data establish DNA demethylation by glycosylases as essential in maize endosperm and pollen and suggest that neither transposon repression nor genomic imprinting is its main function in endosperm.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaitlin M Higgins
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
| | - Kyle W Swentowsky
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Fang-Fang Fu
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
- Co‐Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Yibing Zeng
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Dong won Kim
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - R Kelly Dawe
- Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Nathan M Springer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA
| | - Sarah N Anderson
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA
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23
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Wang X, Wang M, Dai J, Wang Q, La H. Fine mapping and characterization of RLL6 locus required for anti-silencing of a transgene and DNA demethylation in Arabidopsisthaliana. Front Genet 2022; 13:1008700. [PMID: 36226182 PMCID: PMC9549997 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.1008700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation patterns in plants are dynamically shaped by the antagonistic actions of DNA methylation and demethylation pathways. Although the DNA methylation pathway has been well studied, the DNA demethylation pathway, however, are not fully understood so far. To gain deeper insights into the mechanisms of DNA demethylation pathway, we conducted a genetic screening for proteins that were involved in preventing epigenetic gene silencing, and then the ones, which were also implicated in DNA demethylation pathway, were used for further studies. Eventually, a mutant with low luciferase luminescence (low LUC luminescence) was recovered, and named reduced LUC luminescence 6–1 (rll6-1). Map-based cloning revealed that rll6-1 mutation was located on chromosome 4, and there were a total of 10 candidate genes residing within such a region. Analyses of genome-wide methylation patterns of rll6-1 mutant showed that mutation of RLL6 locus led to 3,863 hyper-DMRs (DMRs for differentially methylated regions) throughout five Arabidopsis chromosomes, and elevated DNA methylation level of 2 × 35S promoter, which was similar to that found in the ros1 (repressor of silencing 1) mutant. Further analysis demonstrated that there were 1,456 common hyper-DMRs shared by rll6-1 and ros1-7 mutants, suggesting that both proteins acted together in a synergistic manner to remove DNA methylation. Further investigations demonstrated that mutation of RLL6 locus did not affect the expression of the four genes of the DNA glycosylase/lyase family. Thus, our results demonstrate that RLL6 locus-encoded protein not only participates in transcriptional anti-silencing of a transgene, but is also involved in DNA demethylation pathway.
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24
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Xu JH, Irshad F, Yan Y, Li C. Loss of Function of the RRMF Domain in OsROS1a Causes Sterility in Rice (Oryza sativa L.). Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911349. [PMID: 36232648 PMCID: PMC9569698 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
For crop seed production, the development of anthers and male fertility are the main agronomic traits and key biological processes for flowering plants. Active DNA demethylation regulates many plant developmental processes and is ensured by 5-meC DNA glycosylase enzymes. To find out the role of OsROS1a, OsROS1a gene editing mutants were generated using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The osros1a mutants had shrink spikelets, smaller anthers and pollen grains, and were not stained by iodine staining showing a significant reduction in total soluble sugar and starch contents as compared to wildtype (WT), which caused complete male sterility. Similarly, the expression of genes involved in pollen and anther development was decreased in osros1a mutants as compared to WT. Furthermore, bisulfite sequencing showed that the CG and CHG methylation of the OsPKS2 gene promoter was significantly increased in the osros1a mutant, which caused a reduced expression of OsPKS2 in osros1a mutants. DNA methylation of the TDR gene promoter was similar between WT and osros1a mutants, indicating that the DNA methylation effect by OsROS1a was gene specific. The expression of OsROS1a in the mutants was not changed, but it produced a frame-shift mutation to truncate the Pem-CXXC and RRMF domains. Combined with previous studies, our findings suggested that the RRMF domain in OsROS1a is the functional domain and loss of RRMF for OsROS1a causes sterility in rice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian-Hong Xu
- Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya 572025, China
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, College of Agriculture & Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Shandong (Linyi) Institute of Modern Agriculture, Zhejiang University, Linyi 276000, China
- Correspondence: (J.-H.X.); (C.L.)
| | - Faiza Irshad
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, College of Agriculture & Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yan Yan
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, College of Agriculture & Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Chao Li
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Crop Germplasm, College of Agriculture & Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Shandong (Linyi) Institute of Modern Agriculture, Zhejiang University, Linyi 276000, China
- Correspondence: (J.-H.X.); (C.L.)
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Plant DNA Methylation: An Epigenetic Mark in Development, Environmental Interactions, and Evolution. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158299. [PMID: 35955429 PMCID: PMC9368846 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification of the genome involved in the regulation of gene expression and modulation of chromatin structure. Plant genomes are widely methylated, and the methylation generally occurs on the cytosine bases through the activity of specific enzymes called DNA methyltransferases. On the other hand, methylated DNA can also undergo demethylation through the action of demethylases. The methylation landscape is finely tuned and assumes a pivotal role in plant development and evolution. This review illustrates different molecular aspects of DNA methylation and some plant physiological processes influenced by this epigenetic modification in model species, crops, and ornamental plants such as orchids. In addition, this review aims to describe the relationship between the changes in plant DNA methylation levels and the response to biotic and abiotic stress. Finally, we discuss the possible evolutionary implications and biotechnological applications of DNA methylation.
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Nemati I, Sedghi M, Hosseini Salekdeh G, Tavakkol Afshari R, Naghavi MR, Gholizadeh S. DELAY OF GERMINATION 1 ( DOG1) regulates dormancy in dimorphic seeds of Xanthium strumarium. FUNCTIONAL PLANT BIOLOGY : FPB 2022; 49:742-758. [PMID: 35569923 DOI: 10.1071/fp21315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Seed dormancy ensures plant survival but many mechanisms remain unclear. A high-throughput RNA-seq analysis investigated the mechanisms involved in the establishment of dormancy in dimorphic seeds of Xanthium strumarium (L.) developing in one single burr. Results showed that DOG1 , the main dormancy gene in Arabidopsis thaliana L., was over-represented in the dormant seed leading to the formation of two seeds with different cell wall properties. Less expression of DME /EMB1649 , UBP26 , EMF2, MOM, SNL2, and AGO4 in the non-dormant seed was observed, which function in the chromatin remodelling of dormancy-associated genes through DNA methylation. However, higher levels of ATXR7 /SDG25, ELF6 , and JMJ16/PKDM7D in the non-dormant seed that act at the level of histone demethylation and activate germination were found. Dramatically lower expression in the splicing factors SUA, PWI , and FY in non-dormant seed may indicate that variation in RNA splicing for ABA sensitivity and transcriptional elongation control of DOG1 is of importance for inducing seed dormancy. Seed size and germination may be influenced by respiratory factors, and alterations in ABA content and auxin distribution and responses. TOR (a serine/threonine-protein kinase) is likely at the centre of a regulatory hub controlling seed metabolism, maturation, and germination. Over-representation of the respiration-associated genes (ACO3 , PEPC3 , and D2HGDH ) was detected in non-dormant seed, suggesting differential energy supplies in the two seeds. Degradation of ABA biosynthesis and/or proper auxin signalling in the large seed may control germinability, and suppression of endoreduplication in the small seed may be a mechanism for cell differentiation and cell size determination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iman Nemati
- Department of Plant Production and Genetics Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Mohammad Sedghi
- Department of Plant Production and Genetics Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Ghasem Hosseini Salekdeh
- Department of Molecular Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia; and Department of Systems and Synthetic Biology, Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII), Agricultural Research Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
| | - Reza Tavakkol Afshari
- Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agriculture, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Somayeh Gholizadeh
- Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
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27
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Tan YR, Nakamura Y. The importance of Arabidopsis PHOSPHOLIPID N-METHYLTRANSFERASE in glycerolipid metabolism and plant growth. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2022; 73:2971-2984. [PMID: 35560202 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erac049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a major class of phospholipids that are essential for post-embryonic growth in plants. In Arabidopsis, three copies of the phospho-base N-methyltransferase, PMT1, PMT2, and PMT3, are known to account for PC biosynthesis because the triple-knockout mutant is devoid of biosynthesis and shows lethality in post-embryonic but not embryonic growth. Arabidopsis also contains a distinct phospholipid N-methyltransferase (PLMT) that is homologous with yeast and animal PLMT that methylates phospholipids to produce PC. However, the knockout mutant of PLMT does not show morphological phenotypes or decreased PC content, so the role of PLMT remains unclear. Here, we show that PLMT is ubiquitously expressed in different organs and localized at the endoplasmic reticulum, where PC is produced. Overexpression of PLMT in planta increased the content of phospholipids including PC and affected vegetative but not reproductive growth. Although silique lengths were shorter, pollen remained viable and mature seeds were produced. Intriguingly, seed triacylglycerol content was increased with altered fatty acid composition. We conclude that PLMT might be a functional enzyme in PC biosynthesis and play an organ-specific role in developing seeds, where rapid accumulation of triacylglycerol dominates the entire glycerolipid metabolic flux.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue-Rong Tan
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Chung Hsing University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yuki Nakamura
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Academia Sinica and National Chung Hsing University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
- RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS), Yokohama, Japan
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28
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Williams BP, Bechen LL, Pohlmann DA, Gehring M. Somatic DNA demethylation generates tissue-specific methylation states and impacts flowering time. THE PLANT CELL 2022; 34:1189-1206. [PMID: 34954804 PMCID: PMC8972289 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koab319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Cytosine methylation is a reversible epigenetic modification of DNA. In plants, removal of cytosine methylation is accomplished by the four members of the DEMETER (DME) family of 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylases, named DME, DEMETER-LIKE2 (DML2), DML3, and REPRESSOR OF SILENCING1 (ROS1) in Arabidopsis thaliana. Demethylation by DME is critical for seed development, preventing experiments to determine the function of the entire gene family in somatic tissues by mutant analysis. Here, we bypassed the reproductive defects of dme mutants to create somatic quadruple homozygous mutants of the entire DME family. dme; ros1; dml2; and dml3 (drdd) leaves exhibit hypermethylated regions compared with wild-type leaves and rdd triple mutants, indicating functional redundancy among all four demethylases. Targets of demethylation include regions co-targeted by RNA-directed DNA methylation and, surprisingly, CG gene body methylation, indicating dynamic methylation at these less-understood sites. Additionally, many tissue-specific methylation differences are absent in drdd, suggesting a role for active demethylation in generating divergent epigenetic states across wild-type tissues. Furthermore, drdd plants display an early flowering phenotype, which involves 5'-hypermethylation and transcriptional down-regulation of FLOWERING LOCUS C. Active DNA demethylation is therefore required for proper methylation across somatic tissues and defines the epigenetic landscape of intergenic and coding regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben P Williams
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Lindsey L Bechen
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Deborah A Pohlmann
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Mary Gehring
- Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
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29
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Xu Q, Wu L, Luo Z, Zhang M, Lai J, Li L, Springer NM, Li Q. DNA demethylation affects imprinted gene expression in maize endosperm. Genome Biol 2022; 23:77. [PMID: 35264226 PMCID: PMC8905802 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02641-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background DNA demethylation occurs in many species and is involved in diverse biological processes. However, the occurrence and role of DNA demethylation in maize remain unknown. Results We analyze loss-of-function mutants of two major genes encoding DNA demethylases. No significant change in DNA methylation has been detected in these mutants. However, we detect increased DNA methylation levels in the mutants around genes and some transposons. The increase in DNA methylation is accompanied by alteration in gene expression, with a tendency to show downregulation, especially for the genes that are preferentially expressed in endosperm. Imprinted expression of both maternally and paternally expressed genes changes in F1 hybrid with the mutant as female and the wild-type as male parental line, but not in the reciprocal hybrid. This alteration in gene expression is accompanied by allele-specific DNA methylation differences, suggesting that removal of DNA methylation of the maternal allele is required for the proper expression of these imprinted genes. Finally, we demonstrate that hypermethylation in the double mutant is associated with reduced binding of transcription factor to its target, and altered gene expression. Conclusions Our results suggest that active removal of DNA methylation is important for transcription factor binding and proper gene expression in maize endosperm.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-022-02641-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Xu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Leiming Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Zhixiang Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Mei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanxincun 20, Fragrant Hill, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Jinsheng Lai
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry and National Maize Improvement Center, Department of Plant Genetics and Breeding, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, China
| | - Lin Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Nathan M Springer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Qing Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China. .,Hubei Hongshan Laboratory, Wuhan, 430070, China.
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30
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Kulichová K, Pieters J, Kumar V, Honys D, Hafidh S. A Plastid-Bound Ankyrin Repeat Protein Controls Gametophyte and Early Embryo Development in Arabidopsis thaliana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:767339. [PMID: 35350296 PMCID: PMC8958021 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.767339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Proplastids are essential precursors for multi-fate plastid biogenesis, including chloroplast differentiation, a powerhouse for photosynthesis in plants. Arabidopsis ankyrin repeat protein (AKRP, AT5G66055) is a plastid-localized protein with a putative function in plastid differentiation and morphogenesis. Loss of function of akrp leads to embryo developmental arrest. Whether AKRP is critical pre-fertilization has remained unresolved. Here, using reverse genetics, we report a new allele, akrp-3, that exhibited a reduced frequency of mutant embryos (<13%) compared to previously reported alleles. akrp-3 affected both male and female gametophytes resulting in reduced viability, incompetence in pollen tube attraction, altered gametic cell fate, and embryo arrest that were depleted of chlorophyll. AKRP is widely expressed, and the AKRP-GFP fusion localized to plastids of both gametophytes, in isolated chloroplast and co-localized with a plastid marker in pollen and pollen tubes. Cell-type-specific complementation of akrp-3 hinted at the developmental timing at which AKRP might play an essential role. Our findings provide a plausible insight into the crucial role of AKRP in the differentiation of both gametophytes and coupling embryo development with chlorophyll synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarína Kulichová
- Laboratory of Pollen Biology, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Janto Pieters
- Laboratory of Pollen Biology, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - Vinod Kumar
- Laboratory of Pollen Biology, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
| | - David Honys
- Laboratory of Pollen Biology, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
- Department of Plant Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Said Hafidh
- Laboratory of Pollen Biology, Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
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31
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Wen N, Osorio CE, Brew-Appiah RAT, Mejías JH, Alam T, Kashyap S, Reinbothe S, Reinbothe C, Moehs CP, von Wettstein D, Rustgi S. Targeting Induced Local Lesions in the Wheat DEMETER and DRE2 Genes, Responsible for Transcriptional Derepression of Wheat Gluten Proteins in the Developing Endosperm. Front Nutr 2022; 9:847635. [PMID: 35308262 PMCID: PMC8928260 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.847635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Wheat is a major source of energy and nutrition worldwide, but it is also a primary cause of frequent diet-induced health issues, specifically celiac disease, for which the only effective therapy so far is strict dietary abstinence from gluten-containing grains. Wheat gluten proteins are grouped into two major categories: high-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMWgs), vital for mixing and baking properties, and gliadins plus low-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (LMWgs) that contain the overwhelming majority of celiac-causing epitopes. We put forth a hypothesis that eliminating gliadins and LMWgs while retaining HMWgs might allow the development of reduced-immunogenicity wheat genotypes relevant to most gluten-sensitive individuals. This hypothesis stems from the knowledge that the molecular structures and regulatory mechanisms of the genes encoding the two groups of gluten proteins are quite different, and blocking one group's transcription, without affecting the other's, is possible. The genes for gliadins and LMWgs have to be de-methylated by 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylase/lyase (DEMETER) and an iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster biogenesis enzyme (DRE2) early during endosperm development to permit their transcription. In this study, a TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) approach was undertaken to identify mutations in the homoeologous DEMETER (DME) and DRE2 genes in common and durum wheat. Lines with mutations in these genes were obtained that displayed reduced content of immunogenic gluten proteins while retaining essential baking properties. Although our data at first glance suggest new possibilities for treating celiac disease and are therefore of medical and agronomical interest, it also shows that inducing mutations in the DME and DRE2 genes analyzed here affected pollen viability and germination. Hence there is a need to develop other approaches in the future to overcome this undesired effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuan Wen
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Claudia E. Osorio
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA Carillanca, Temuco, Chile
| | - Rhoda A. T. Brew-Appiah
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Jaime H. Mejías
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, INIA Carillanca, Temuco, Chile
| | - Tariq Alam
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, School of Health Research, Clemson University Pee Dee Research and Education Centre, Florence, SC, United States
| | - Samneet Kashyap
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, School of Health Research, Clemson University Pee Dee Research and Education Centre, Florence, SC, United States
| | - Steffen Reinbothe
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire des Plantes, Université Grenoble-Alpes, BP53F, Grenoble, France
| | - Christiane Reinbothe
- Laboratoire de Génétique Moléculaire des Plantes, Université Grenoble-Alpes, BP53F, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Diter von Wettstein
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
| | - Sachin Rustgi
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, United States
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, School of Health Research, Clemson University Pee Dee Research and Education Centre, Florence, SC, United States
- *Correspondence: Sachin Rustgi
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Sanchez-Vera V, Landberg K, Lopez-Obando M, Thelander M, Lagercrantz U, Muñoz-Viana R, Schmidt A, Grossniklaus U, Sundberg E. The Physcomitrium patens egg cell expresses several distinct epigenetic components and utilizes homologues of BONOBO genes for cell specification. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:2614-2628. [PMID: 34942024 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Although land plant germ cells have received much attention, knowledge about their specification is still limited. We thus identified transcripts enriched in egg cells of the bryophyte model species Physcomitrium patens, compared the results with angiosperm egg cells, and selected important candidate genes for functional analysis. We used laser-assisted microdissection to perform a cell-type-specific transcriptome analysis on egg cells for comparison with available expression profiles of vegetative tissues and male reproductive organs. We made reporter lines and knockout mutants of the two BONOBO (PbBNB) genes and studied their role in reproduction. We observed an overlap in gene activity between bryophyte and angiosperm egg cells, but also clear differences. Strikingly, several processes that are male-germline specific in Arabidopsis are active in the P. patens egg cell. Among those were the moss PbBNB genes, which control proliferation and identity of both female and male germlines. Pathways shared between male and female germlines were most likely present in the common ancestors of land plants, besides sex-specifying factors. A set of genes may also be involved in the switches between the diploid and haploid moss generations. Nonangiosperm gene networks also contribute to the specification of the P. patens egg cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Sanchez-Vera
- Department of Plant Biology, The Linnean Centre of Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
| | - Katarina Landberg
- Department of Plant Biology, The Linnean Centre of Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
| | - Mauricio Lopez-Obando
- Department of Plant Biology, The Linnean Centre of Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
| | - Mattias Thelander
- Department of Plant Biology, The Linnean Centre of Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
| | - Ulf Lagercrantz
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, Uppsala, SE-752 36, Sweden
| | - Rafael Muñoz-Viana
- Department of Plant Biology, The Linnean Centre of Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
| | - Anja Schmidt
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology & Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, Zurich, CH-8008, Switzerland
| | - Ueli Grossniklaus
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology & Zurich-Basel Plant Science Center, University of Zurich, Zollikerstrasse 107, Zurich, CH-8008, Switzerland
| | - Eva Sundberg
- Department of Plant Biology, The Linnean Centre of Plant Biology in Uppsala, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7080, Uppsala, SE-75007, Sweden
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33
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Lu D, Zhai J, Xi M. Regulation of DNA Methylation During Plant Endosperm Development. Front Genet 2022; 13:760690. [PMID: 35222527 PMCID: PMC8867698 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.760690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The endosperm is a vital storage tissue in plant seeds. It provides nutrients to the embryos or the seedlings during seed development and germination. Although the genetic information in the endosperm cannot be passed directly to the next generation, its inherited epigenetic marks affect gene expression and its development and, consequently, embryo and seed growth. DNA methylation is a major form of epigenetic modification that can be investigated to understand the epigenome changes during reproductive development. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the effects of endosperm DNA methylation on crop yield and traits. In this review, we discuss the changes in DNA methylation and the resulting imprinted gene expression levels during plant endosperm development, as well as their effects on seed development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongdong Lu
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
- Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Institute of Plant and Food Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jixian Zhai
- Department of Biology, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Institute of Plant and Food Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Design for Plant Cell Factory of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Jixian Zhai, ; Mengli Xi,
| | - Mengli Xi
- Key Laboratory of Forest Genetics and Biotechnology of Ministry of Education, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
- *Correspondence: Jixian Zhai, ; Mengli Xi,
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34
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Gui X, Liu C, Qi Y, Zhou X. Geminiviruses employ host DNA glycosylases to subvert DNA methylation-mediated defense. Nat Commun 2022; 13:575. [PMID: 35102164 PMCID: PMC8803994 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28262-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism that plays important roles in gene regulation and transposon silencing. Active DNA demethylation has evolved to counterbalance DNA methylation at many endogenous loci. Here, we report that active DNA demethylation also targets viral DNAs, tomato yellow leaf curl China virus (TYLCCNV) and its satellite tomato yellow leaf curl China betasatellite (TYLCCNB), to promote their virulence. We demonstrate that the βC1 protein, encoded by TYLCCNB, interacts with a ROS1-like DNA glycosylase in Nicotiana benthamiana and with the DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase in Arabidopsis thaliana. The interaction between βC1 and DME facilitates the DNA glycosylase activity to decrease viral DNA methylation and promote viral virulence. These findings reveal that active DNA demethylation can be regulated by a viral protein to subvert DNA methylation-mediated defense.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojian Gui
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Chang Liu
- Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yijun Qi
- Center for Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
- Tsinghua University-Peking University Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Xueping Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
- State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
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35
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Liang W, Li J, Sun L, Liu Y, Lan Z, Qian W. Deciphering the synergistic and redundant roles of CG and non-CG DNA methylation in plant development and transposable element silencing. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 233:722-737. [PMID: 34655488 PMCID: PMC9298111 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation plays key roles in transposable element (TE) silencing and gene expression regulation. DNA methylation occurs at CG, CHG and CHH sequence contexts in plants. However, the synergistic and redundant roles of CG and non-CG methylation are poorly understood. By introducing CRISPR/Cas9-induced met1 mutation into the ddcc (drm1 drm2 cmt2 cmt3) mutant, we attempted to knock out all five DNA methyltransferases in Arabidopsis and then investigate the synergistic and redundant roles of CG and non-CG DNA methylation. We found that the homozygous ddcc met1 quintuple mutants are embryonically lethal, although met1 and ddcc mutants only display some developmental abnormalities. Unexpectedly, the ddcc met1 quintuple mutations only reduce transmission through the male gametophytes. The ddcc met1+/- mutants show apparent size divergence, which is not associated with difference in DNA methylation patterns, but associated with the difference in the levels of DNA damage. Finally, we show that a group of TEs are specifically activated in the ddcc met1+/- mutants. This work reveals that CG and non-CG DNA methylation synergistically and redundantly regulate plant reproductive development, vegetative development and TE silencing in Arabidopsis. Our findings provide insights into the roles of DNA methylation in plant development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene ResearchPeking‐Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Jinchao Li
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene ResearchPeking‐Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
- School of Advanced Agricultural SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Linhua Sun
- School of Advanced Agricultural SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Yi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene ResearchPeking‐Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Zijun Lan
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene ResearchPeking‐Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
| | - Weiqiang Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene ResearchPeking‐Tsinghua Center for Life SciencesSchool of Life SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
- School of Advanced Agricultural SciencesPeking UniversityBeijing100871China
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36
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Vigneau J, Borg M. The epigenetic origin of life history transitions in plants and algae. PLANT REPRODUCTION 2021; 34:267-285. [PMID: 34236522 PMCID: PMC8566409 DOI: 10.1007/s00497-021-00422-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Plants and algae have a complex life history that transitions between distinct life forms called the sporophyte and the gametophyte. This phenomenon-called the alternation of generations-has fascinated botanists and phycologists for over 170 years. Despite the mesmerizing array of life histories described in plants and algae, we are only now beginning to learn about the molecular mechanisms controlling them and how they evolved. Epigenetic silencing plays an essential role in regulating gene expression during multicellular development in eukaryotes, raising questions about its impact on the life history strategy of plants and algae. Here, we trace the origin and function of epigenetic mechanisms across the plant kingdom, from unicellular green algae through to angiosperms, and attempt to reconstruct the evolutionary steps that influenced life history transitions during plant evolution. Central to this evolutionary scenario is the adaption of epigenetic silencing from a mechanism of genome defense to the repression and control of alternating generations. We extend our discussion beyond the green lineage and highlight the peculiar case of the brown algae. Unlike their unicellular diatom relatives, brown algae lack epigenetic silencing pathways common to animals and plants yet display complex life histories, hinting at the emergence of novel life history controls during stramenopile evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérômine Vigneau
- Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Borg
- Department of Algal Development and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany.
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Drosou V, Kapazoglou A, Letsiou S, Tsaftaris AS, Argiriou A. Drought induces variation in the DNA methylation status of the barley HvDME promoter. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2021; 134:1351-1362. [PMID: 34510287 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-021-01342-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cytosine methylation is an epigenetic modification with essential roles in diverse plant biological processes including vegetative and reproductive development and responsiveness to environmental stimuli. A dynamic process involving DNA methyltransferases and DNA demethylases establishes cytosine DNA methylation levels and distribution along the genome. A DNA demethylase gene from barley (Hordeum vulgare), DEMETER (HvDME), the homologue of the Arabidopsis thaliana DME (AtDME), has been characterized previously and found to respond to drought conditions. Here, the promoter of the HvDME gene was analysed further by in silico and DNA methylation analysis. The effect of drought conditions on the DNA methylation status of HvDME was investigated at single-cytosine resolution using bisulfite sequencing. It was demonstrated that the HvDME promoter can be divided into two discrete regions, in terms of DNA methylation level and density; a relatively unmethylated region proximal to the translational start site that is depleted of non-CG (CHG, CHH) methylation and another distal region, approximately 1500 bp upstream of the translational start site, enriched in CG, as well as non-CG methylation. Drought stress provoked alterations in the methylation status of the HvDME promoter distal region, whereas the DNA methylation of the proximal region remained unaffected. Computational analysis of the HvDME promoter revealed the presence of several putative regulatory elements related to drought responsiveness, as well as transposable elements (TEs) that may affect DNA methylation. Overall, our results expand our investigations of the epigenetic regulation of the HvDME gene in response to drought stress in barley and may contribute to further understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms underlying abiotic stress responses in barley and other cereals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Drosou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thermi, 57001, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Aliki Kapazoglou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thermi, 57001, Thessaloniki, Greece.
- Institute of Olive Tree, Subtropical Crops and Viticulture (IOSV), Hellenic Agricultural Organization-Dimitra (ELGO-Dimitra), Lykovrysi, 14123, Athens, Greece.
| | - Sophia Letsiou
- Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Research and Development, APIVITA S.A., Industrial Park of Markopoulo Mesogaias, Markopoulo Attiki, 19003, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Anagnostis Argiriou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thermi, 57001, Thessaloniki, Greece
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38
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Inagaki S. Silencing and anti-silencing mechanisms that shape the epigenome in plants. Genes Genet Syst 2021; 96:217-228. [PMID: 34719532 DOI: 10.1266/ggs.21-00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenome information mediates genome function and maintenance by regulating gene expression and chromatin organization. Because the epigenome pattern can change in response to internal and external environments, it may underlie an adaptive genome response that modulates phenotypes during development and in changing environments. Here I summarize recent progress in our understanding of how epigenome patterns are shaped and modulated by concerted actions of silencing and anti-silencing factors mainly in Arabidopsis thaliana. I discuss the dynamic nature of epigenome regulation, which is realized by cooperation and counteraction among silencing and anti-silencing factors, and how the dynamic epigenome mediates robust and plastic responses of plants to fluctuating environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soichi Inagaki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo.,PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency
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39
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Trasviña-Arenas CH, Demir M, Lin WJ, David SS. Structure, function and evolution of the Helix-hairpin-Helix DNA glycosylase superfamily: Piecing together the evolutionary puzzle of DNA base damage repair mechanisms. DNA Repair (Amst) 2021; 108:103231. [PMID: 34649144 DOI: 10.1016/j.dnarep.2021.103231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The Base Excision Repair (BER) pathway is a highly conserved DNA repair system targeting chemical base modifications that arise from oxidation, deamination and alkylation reactions. BER features lesion-specific DNA glycosylases (DGs) which recognize and excise modified or inappropriate DNA bases to produce apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites and coordinate AP-site hand-off to subsequent BER pathway enzymes. The DG superfamilies identified have evolved independently to cope with a wide variety of nucleobase chemical modifications. Most DG superfamilies recognize a distinct set of structurally related lesions. In contrast, the Helix-hairpin-Helix (HhH) DG superfamily has the remarkable ability to act upon structurally diverse sets of base modifications. The versatility in substrate recognition of the HhH-DG superfamily has been shaped by motif and domain acquisitions during evolution. In this paper, we review the structural features and catalytic mechanisms of the HhH-DG superfamily and draw a hypothetical reconstruction of the evolutionary path where these DGs developed diverse and unique enzymatic features.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Merve Demir
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Wen-Jen Lin
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A
| | - Sheila S David
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A..
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40
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El-Sappah AH, Yan K, Huang Q, Islam MM, Li Q, Wang Y, Khan MS, Zhao X, Mir RR, Li J, El-Tarabily KA, Abbas M. Comprehensive Mechanism of Gene Silencing and Its Role in Plant Growth and Development. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:705249. [PMID: 34589097 PMCID: PMC8475493 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.705249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Gene silencing is a negative feedback mechanism that regulates gene expression to define cell fate and also regulates metabolism and gene expression throughout the life of an organism. In plants, gene silencing occurs via transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) and post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). TGS obscures transcription via the methylation of 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), whereas PTGS causes the methylation of a coding region to result in transcript degradation. In this review, we summarized the history and molecular mechanisms of gene silencing and underlined its specific role in plant growth and crop production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed H. El-Sappah
- School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, China
- Genetics Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt
- Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Refining Sichuan Tea, Yibin, China
| | - Kuan Yan
- School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, China
- Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Refining Sichuan Tea, Yibin, China
| | - Qiulan Huang
- School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, China
- Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Refining Sichuan Tea, Yibin, China
- College of Tea Science, Yibin University, Yibin, China
| | | | - Quanzi Li
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Wang
- School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, China
- Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Refining Sichuan Tea, Yibin, China
| | - Muhammad Sarwar Khan
- Center of Agriculture Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
| | - Xianming Zhao
- School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, China
- Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Refining Sichuan Tea, Yibin, China
| | - Reyazul Rouf Mir
- Division of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture (FoA), Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST–K), Sopore, India
| | - Jia Li
- School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, China
- Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Refining Sichuan Tea, Yibin, China
| | - Khaled A. El-Tarabily
- Department of Biology, College of Science, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates
- Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia
| | - Manzar Abbas
- School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Engineering, Yibin University, Yibin, China
- Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province for Refining Sichuan Tea, Yibin, China
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Zhou S, Li X, Liu Q, Zhao Y, Jiang W, Wu A, Zhou DX. DNA demethylases remodel DNA methylation in rice gametes and zygote and are required for reproduction. MOLECULAR PLANT 2021; 14:1569-1583. [PMID: 34116223 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2021.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Fertilization constitutes a critical step in the plant life cycle during which the gamete genomes undergo chromatin dynamics in preparation for embryogenesis. In mammals, parental chromatin is extensively reprogrammed through the global erasure of DNA methylation. However, in flowering plants it remains unclear whether and how DNA methylation is remodeled in gametes and after fertilization in the zygote. In this study, we characterize DNA methylation patterns and investigate the function of DNA glycosylases in rice eggs, sperm, and unicellular zygotes and during embryogenesis. We found that DNA methylation is locally reconfigured after fertilization and is intensified during embryogenesis. Genetic, epigenomic, and transcriptomic analysis revealed that three rice DNA glycosylases, DNG702, DNG701, and DNG704, demethylate DNA at distinct genomic regions in the gametes and the zygote, and are required for zygotic gene expression and development. Collectively, these results indicate that active DNA demethylation takes place in the gametes and the zygote to locally remodel DNA methylation, which is critical for egg and zygote gene expression and reproduction in rice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoli Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Xue Li
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Qian Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Jiang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Anqi Wu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China
| | - Dao-Xiu Zhou
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, 430070 Wuhan, China; Institute of Plant Science Paris-Saclay (IPS2), CNRS, INRAE, University Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay, France.
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42
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The DME demethylase regulates sporophyte gene expression, cell proliferation, differentiation, and meristem resurrection. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2026806118. [PMID: 34266952 PMCID: PMC8307533 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2026806118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The angiosperm life cycle has alternating diploid (sporophyte) and haploid (gametophyte) generations. The sporophyte generation begins with fertilization of haploid gametes and the gametophyte generation begins after meiosis. In Arabidopsis, the DEMETER (DME) DNA demethylase is essential for reproduction and is expressed in the central cell and vegetative cell of the female and male gametophyte, respectively. Little is known about DME function in the sporophyte. We show that DME activity is required for sporophyte development—seed germination, root hair growth, and cellular proliferation and differentiation during development—and we identify sporophytic genes whose proper expression requires DME activity. Together, our study provides important clues about the genetic circuits regulated by the DME DNA demethylase that control Arabidopsis sporophyte development. The flowering plant life cycle consists of alternating haploid (gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte) generations, where the sporophytic generation begins with fertilization of haploid gametes. In Arabidopsis, genome-wide DNA demethylation is required for normal development, catalyzed by the DEMETER (DME) DNA demethylase in the gamete companion cells of male and female gametophytes. In the sporophyte, postembryonic growth and development are largely dependent on the activity of numerous stem cell niches, or meristems. Analyzing Arabidopsis plants homozygous for a loss-of-function dme-2 allele, we show that DME influences many aspects of sporophytic growth and development. dme-2 mutants exhibited delayed seed germination, variable root hair growth, aberrant cellular proliferation and differentiation followed by enhanced de novo shoot formation, dysregulation of root quiescence and stomatal precursor cells, and inflorescence meristem (IM) resurrection. We also show that sporophytic DME activity exerts a profound effect on the transcriptome of developing Arabidopsis plants, including discrete groups of regulatory genes that are misregulated in dme-2 mutant tissues, allowing us to potentially link phenotypes to changes in specific gene expression pathways. These results show that DME plays a key role in sporophytic development and suggest that DME-mediated active DNA demethylation may be involved in the maintenance of stem cell activities during the sporophytic life cycle in Arabidopsis.
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43
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Borg M, Jiang D, Berger F. Histone variants take center stage in shaping the epigenome. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 61:101991. [PMID: 33434757 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2020.101991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The dynamic properties of the nucleosome are central to genomic activity. Variants of the core histones that form the nucleosome play a pivotal role in modulating nucleosome structure and function. Despite often small differences in sequence, histone variants display remarkable diversity in genomic deposition and post-translational modification. Here, we summarize the roles played by histone variants in the establishment, maintenance and reprogramming of plant chromatin landscapes, with a focus on histone H3 variants. Deposition of replicative H3.1 during DNA replication controls epigenetic inheritance, while local replacement of H3.1 with H3.3 marks cells undergoing terminal differentiation. Deposition of specialized H3 variants in specific cell types is emerging as a novel mechanism of selective epigenetic reprogramming during the plant life cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Borg
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Danhua Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Innovative Academy for Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Frédéric Berger
- Gregor Mendel Institute, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
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44
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Zeng W, Huang H, Lin X, Zhu C, Kosami K, Huang C, Zhang H, Duan C, Zhu J, Miki D. Roles of DEMETER in regulating DNA methylation in vegetative tissues and pathogen resistance. JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2021; 63:691-706. [PMID: 33236824 PMCID: PMC8251943 DOI: 10.1111/jipb.13037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark important for genome stability and gene expression. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylase/demethylase DEMETER (DME) controls active DNA demethylation during the reproductive stage; however, the lethality of loss-of-function dme mutations has made it difficult to assess DME function in vegetative tissues. Here, we edited DME using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) /CRISPR-associated protein 9 and created three weak dme mutants that produced a few viable seeds. We also performed central cell-specific complementation in a strong dme mutant and combined this line with mutations in the other three Arabidopsis demethylase genes to generate the dme ros1 dml2 dml3 (drdd) quadruple mutant. A DNA methylome analysis showed that DME is required for DNA demethylation at hundreds of genomic regions in vegetative tissues. A transcriptome analysis of the drdd mutant revealed that DME and the other three demethylases are important for plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses in vegetative tissues. Despite the limited role of DME in regulating DNA methylation in vegetative tissues, the dme mutants showed increased susceptibility to bacterial and fungal pathogens. Our study highlights the important functions of DME in vegetative tissues and provides valuable genetic tools for future investigations of DNA demethylation in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjie Zeng
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai201602China
| | - Huan Huang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
| | - Xueqiang Lin
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai201602China
| | - Chen Zhu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
| | - Ken‐ichi Kosami
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
- Fruit Tree Research Center, Ehime Research Institute of Agriculture, Forestry and FisheriesEhime7910112Japan
| | - Chaofeng Huang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
| | - Huiming Zhang
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
| | - Cheng‐Guo Duan
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
| | - Jian‐Kang Zhu
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
- Department of Horticulture and Landscape ArchitecturePurdue UniversityWest LafayetteIndiana47907USA
| | - Daisuke Miki
- Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology and Center of Excellence for Molecular Plant Sciencesthe Chinese Academy of SciencesShanghai210602China
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45
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Wu W, Li L, Zhao Y, Zhao Y, Jiang T, McCormick S, Zheng B. Heterochromatic silencing is reinforced by ARID1-mediated small RNA movement in Arabidopsis pollen. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:3269-3280. [PMID: 32783185 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In the plant male germline, transposable elements (TEs) are reactivated in the companion vegetative nucleus, resulting in siRNA production and the intercellular movement of these siRNAs to reinforce TE silencing in sperm. However, the mechanism by which siRNA movement is regulated remains unexplored. Here we show that ARID1, a transcription factor which is constitutively expressed in the vegetative nucleus but dynamically accumulates in the generative cell (the progenitor of sperm) to promote the second pollen mitosis, mediates siRNA movement to reinforce heterochromatic silencing in the male germline. We looked for regulators involved in the accumulation of ARID1 in the generative cell, and found that AGO9, a germline-specific AGO in Arabidopsis, is required for the accumulation of ARID1 in the generative cell. Mutations in either ARID1 or AGO9 lead to the interruption of not only the second pollen mitosis but also the movement of siRNA from the vegetative nucleus to the male germline, resulting in the release of heterochromatic silencing in the male germline. Moreover, conditional knockdown of ARID1 in the generative cell causes reduced heterochromatic silencing in both bicellular and mature pollen. This study provides insights into how a spatiotemporal transcription factor coordinates heterochromatic silencing and male germline maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenye Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Lei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Yi Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Youshang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Ting Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Sheila McCormick
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, UC-Berkeley, Albany, CA, 94710, USA
| | - Binglian Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Sciences and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
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46
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Lu Y, Song Y, Liu L, Wang T. DNA methylation dynamics of sperm cell lineage development in tomato. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 105:565-579. [PMID: 33249677 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
During the sexual reproduction of higher plants, DNA methylation and transcription are broadly changed to reshape a microspore into two sperm cells (SCs) and a vegetative cell (VC). However, when and how the DNA methylation of SCs is established remains not fully understood. Here we investigate the DNA methylation (5 mC) dynamics of SC lineage and the VC in tomato using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. We find the asymmetric division of the microspore gives its two daughter cells differential methylome. Compared with the generative cell (GC), the VC is hypomethylated at CG sites while hypermethylated at CHG and CHH sites, with the majority of differentially methylation regions targeted to transposable elements (TEs). SCs have a nearly identical DNA methylome to the GC, suggesting that the methylation landscape in SCs may be pre-established following the asymmetric division or inherited from the GC. The random forest classifier for predicting gene and TE expression shows that methylation within the gene body is a more powerful predictor for gene expression. Among all tested samples, gene and TE expression in the microspore may be more predictable by DNA methylation. Our results depict an intact DNA methylome landscape of SC lineage in higher plants, and reveal that the impact of DNA methylation on transcription is variant in different cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Lu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Yunyun Song
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Lingtong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Tai Wang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
- Innovative Academy of Seed Design, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
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47
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Borg M, Papareddy RK, Dombey R, Axelsson E, Nodine MD, Twell D, Berger F. Epigenetic reprogramming rewires transcription during the alternation of generations in Arabidopsis. eLife 2021; 10:e61894. [PMID: 33491647 PMCID: PMC7920552 DOI: 10.7554/elife.61894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternation between morphologically distinct haploid and diploid life forms is a defining feature of most plant and algal life cycles, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms that govern these transitions remain unclear. Here, we explore the dynamic relationship between chromatin accessibility and epigenetic modifications during life form transitions in Arabidopsis. The diploid-to-haploid life form transition is governed by the loss of H3K9me2 and DNA demethylation of transposon-associated cis-regulatory elements. This event is associated with dramatic changes in chromatin accessibility and transcriptional reprogramming. In contrast, the global loss of H3K27me3 in the haploid form shapes a chromatin accessibility landscape that is poised to re-initiate the transition back to diploid life after fertilisation. Hence, distinct epigenetic reprogramming events rewire transcription through major reorganisation of the regulatory epigenome to guide the alternation of generations in flowering plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Borg
- Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Austrian Academy of SciencesViennaAustria
| | | | - Rodolphe Dombey
- Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Austrian Academy of SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Elin Axelsson
- Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Austrian Academy of SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Michael D Nodine
- Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Austrian Academy of SciencesViennaAustria
| | - David Twell
- Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Austrian Academy of SciencesViennaAustria
- Department of Genetics, University of LeicesterLeicesterUnited Kingdom
| | - Frédéric Berger
- Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Austrian Academy of SciencesViennaAustria
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Application of 5-Methylcytosine DNA Glycosylase to the Quantitative Analysis of DNA Methylation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031072. [PMID: 33499041 PMCID: PMC7865733 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In higher eukaryotes DNA methylation is a prominent epigenetic mark important for chromatin structure and gene expression. Thus, profiling DNA methylation is important for predicting gene expressions associated with specific traits or diseases. DNA methylation is achieved by DNA methyltransferases and can be actively removed by specific enzymes in a replication-independent manner. DEMETER (DME) is a bifunctional 5-methylcytosine (5mC) DNA glycosylase responsible for active DNA demethylation that excises 5mC from DNA and cleaves a sugar-phosphate bond generating a single strand break (SSB). In this study, DME was used to analyze DNA methylation levels at specific epialleles accompanied with gain or loss of DNA methylation. DME treatment on genomic DNA generates SSBs in a nonsequence-specific fashion proportional to 5mC density, and thus DNA methylation levels can be easily measured when combined with the quantitative PCR (qPCR) method. The DME-qPCR analysis was applied to measure DNA methylation levels at the FWA gene in late-flowering Arabidopsis mutants and the CNR gene during fruit ripening in tomato. Differentially methylated epialleles were successfully distinguished corresponding to their expression levels and phenotypes. DME-qPCR is proven a simple yet effective method for quantitative DNA methylation analysis, providing advantages over current techniques based on methylation-sensitive restriction digestion.
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Khouider S, Borges F, LeBlanc C, Ungru A, Schnittger A, Martienssen R, Colot V, Bouyer D. Male fertility in Arabidopsis requires active DNA demethylation of genes that control pollen tube function. Nat Commun 2021; 12:410. [PMID: 33462227 PMCID: PMC7813888 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20606-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Active DNA demethylation is required for sexual reproduction in plants but the molecular determinants underlying this epigenetic control are not known. Here, we show in Arabidopsis thaliana that the DNA glycosylases DEMETER (DME) and REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1) act semi-redundantly in the vegetative cell of pollen to demethylate DNA and ensure proper pollen tube progression. Moreover, we identify six pollen-specific genes with increased DNA methylation as well as reduced expression in dme and dme;ros1. We further show that for four of these genes, reinstalling their expression individually in mutant pollen is sufficient to improve male fertility. Our findings demonstrate an essential role of active DNA demethylation in regulating genes involved in pollen function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souraya Khouider
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Filipe Borges
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, 11724, USA.,Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 78000, Versailles, France
| | - Chantal LeBlanc
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, 11724, USA.,Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Alexander Ungru
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, 50829, Cologne, Germany
| | - Arp Schnittger
- Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, 50829, Cologne, Germany.,Institut de Biologie Moleculaire des Plantes (IBMP), CNRS, University Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France.,University Hamburg, 22609, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Robert Martienssen
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, NY, 11724, USA
| | - Vincent Colot
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France.
| | - Daniel Bouyer
- Institut de Biologie de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure (IBENS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, 75005, Paris, France. .,Institut de Biologie Moleculaire des Plantes (IBMP), CNRS, University Strasbourg, 67084, Strasbourg, France. .,Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des Plantes (RDP), UnivLyon, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, CNRS, INRAE, 69342, Lyon, France.
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50
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Markulin L, Škiljaica A, Tokić M, Jagić M, Vuk T, Bauer N, Leljak Levanić D. Taking the Wheel - de novo DNA Methylation as a Driving Force of Plant Embryonic Development. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:764999. [PMID: 34777448 PMCID: PMC8585777 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.764999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
During plant embryogenesis, regardless of whether it begins with a fertilized egg cell (zygotic embryogenesis) or an induced somatic cell (somatic embryogenesis), significant epigenetic reprogramming occurs with the purpose of parental or vegetative transcript silencing and establishment of a next-generation epigenetic patterning. To ensure genome stability of a developing embryo, large-scale transposon silencing occurs by an RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway, which introduces methylation patterns de novo and as such potentially serves as a global mechanism of transcription control during developmental transitions. RdDM is controlled by a two-armed mechanism based around the activity of two RNA polymerases. While PolIV produces siRNAs accompanied by protein complexes comprising the methylation machinery, PolV produces lncRNA which guides the methylation machinery toward specific genomic locations. Recently, RdDM has been proposed as a dominant methylation mechanism during gamete formation and early embryo development in Arabidopsis thaliana, overshadowing all other methylation mechanisms. Here, we bring an overview of current knowledge about different roles of DNA methylation with emphasis on RdDM during plant zygotic and somatic embryogenesis. Based on published chromatin immunoprecipitation data on PolV binding sites within the A. thaliana genome, we uncover groups of auxin metabolism, reproductive development and embryogenesis-related genes, and discuss possible roles of RdDM at the onset of early embryonic development via targeted methylation at sites involved in different embryogenesis-related developmental mechanisms.
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