Transgenerational maintenance of transgene body CG but not CHG and CHH methylation

Association of DNA methylation and transcriptome reveals epigenetic etiology of heart failure

Epigenetic modifications viz. DNA methylation, histone modifications, and RNA-based alterations play a crucial role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we investigated DNA methylation with an aim to reveal the epigenetic etiology of heart failure. Sprague-Dawley rats surviving myocardial infarction developed acute heart failure in 1 week. Genomic DNA methylation changes were profiled by bisulfite sequencing, and gene expression levels were analyzed by RNA-seq in failing and sham-operation hearts. A total of 3480 differentially methylated genes in the promoter regions including transcriptional start site and 1934 transcriptome-altered genes were identified in the defected hearts. Common differential genes were enriched by the gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway, and protein-protein interaction for HF phenotypes. Among these, Mettl11b, HDAC3, HDAC11, ubiquitination-related genes, and snoRNAs are new epigenetic classifiers that had not been reported yet, which may be important regulators in HF.

Deciphering the Epigenetic Alphabet Involved in Transgenerational Stress Memory in Crops

Although epigenetic modifications have been intensely investigated over the last decade due to their role in crop adaptation to rapid climate change, it is unclear which epigenetic changes are heritable and therefore transmitted to their progeny. The identification of epigenetic marks that are transmitted to the next generations is of primary importance for their use in breeding and for the development of new cultivars with a broad-spectrum of tolerance/resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this review, we discuss general aspects of plant responses to environmental stresses and provide an overview of recent findings on the role of transgenerational epigenetic modifications in crops. In addition, we take the opportunity to describe the aims of EPI-CATCH, an international COST action consortium composed by researchers from 28 countries. The aim of this COST action launched in 2020 is: (1) to define standardized pipelines and methods used in the study of epigenetic mechanisms in plants, (2) update, share, and exchange findings in epigenetic responses to environmental stresses in plants, (3) develop new concepts and frontiers in plant epigenetics and epigenomics, (4) enhance dissemination, communication, and transfer of knowledge in plant epigenetics and epigenomics.

Viroids as a Tool to Study RNA-Directed DNA Methylation in Plants

Viroids are plant pathogenic, circular, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs). Members of the Pospiviroidae family replicate in the nucleus of plant cells through double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) intermediates, thus triggering the host’s RNA interference (RNAi) machinery. In plants, the two RNAi pillars are Post-Transcriptional Gene Silencing (PTGS) and RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM), and the latter has the potential to trigger Transcriptional Gene Silencing (TGS). Over the last three decades, the employment of viroid-based systems has immensely contributed to our understanding of both of these RNAi facets. In this review, we highlight the role of Pospiviroidae in the discovery of RdDM, expound the gradual elucidation through the years of the diverse array of RdDM’s mechanistic details and propose a revised RdDM model based on the cumulative amount of evidence from viroid and non-viroid systems.

Small DNA Methylation, Big Player in Plant Abiotic Stress Responses and Memory

DNA methylation is a conserved epigenetic mark that plays important roles in maintaining genome stability and regulating gene expression. As sessile organisms, plants have evolved sophisticated regulatory systems to endure or respond to diverse adverse abiotic environmental challenges, i.e., abiotic stresses, such as extreme temperatures (cold and heat), drought and salinity. Plant stress responses are often accompanied by changes in chromatin modifications at diverse responsive loci, such as 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and N 6-methyladenine (6mA) DNA methylation. Some abiotic stress responses are memorized for several hours or days through mitotic cell divisions and quickly reset to baseline levels after normal conditions are restored, which is referred to as somatic memory. In some cases, stress-induced chromatin marks are meiotically heritable and can impart the memory of stress exposure from parent plants to at least the next stress-free offspring generation through the mechanisms of transgenerational epigenetic inheritance, which may offer the descendants the potential to be adaptive for better fitness. In this review, we briefly summarize recent achievements regarding the establishment, maintenance and reset of DNA methylation, and highlight the diverse roles of DNA methylation in plant responses to abiotic stresses. Further, we discuss the potential role of DNA methylation in abiotic stress-induced somatic memory and transgenerational inheritance. Future research directions are proposed to develop stress-tolerant engineered crops to reduce the negative effects of abiotic stresses.

Elevated CO2 alters transgene methylation not only in promoterregion but also in codingregion of Bt rice under different N-fertilizer levels

The earth has been undergoing climate change, especially in recent years, driven by increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) and rising earth-surface temperature, which could reduce N allocation to Bt toxin for transgenic Bt crops (Bt crops), but the N fertilization is considered to be an effective method to enhance the C-N balance in Bt crops in the case of elevated CO₂ in future. DNA methylation not only in promoterregion but also in codingregion of transgene plays a critical role in transgene expression regulation and silencing of transgenic crops. Recent research has emphasized the risks of increased transgene silencing of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) rice under elevated CO₂. In this study, the effects of elevated CO₂ (vs. ambient CO₂) on exogenous Bt toxins and transgene expression in promoterregion and codingregion of Bt rice during tillering stage (cv. HH1 expressing fused Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac) were evaluated under three nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate (1/4, 1 and 2 N levels). The aboveground and belowground biomass, and foliar Bt protein content of Bt rice were all significantly increased with the augmentation of N-fertilizer. And elevated CO₂ significantly increased belowground biomass, total soluble protein content, transgene methylation levels in promoterregion (P1), and in total of promoterregion(P1) and codingregion (P2 + P3) (i.e., P1 + P2 + P3) at 1 N level, and it also increased transgene methylation levels in codingregion (P2), and in total of promoterregion and codingregion (P1 + P2 + P3) at 2 N level. In addition, elevated CO₂ decreased foliar Bt protein content at 1 N level. The transgene methylation levels in promoterregion and codingregion were negatively correlated with Bt-transgene expression level. The methylation level of cytosines located at CG sites was higher than those at CHG and CHH sites in P1, P2 and P3 fragments regardless of the CO₂ or N-fertilizer level. The correlation of transgene mehtylation in promoterregion with transgene expression is even stronger than that in codingregion. These data indicate that N fertilization supply will increase the Bt toxin content in transgenic Bt rice, especially under elevated CO₂.

The Rapid Methylation of T-DNAs Upon Agrobacterium Inoculation in Plant Leaves

Agrobacterium tumefaciens has been foundational in the development of transgenic plants for both agricultural biotechnology and plant molecular research. However, the transformation efficiency and level of transgene expression obtained for any given construct can be highly variable. These inefficiencies often require screening of many lines to find one with consistent and heritable transgene expression. Transcriptional gene silencing is known to affect transgene expression, and is associated with DNA methylation, especially of cytosines in symmetric CG and CHG contexts. While the specificity, heritability and silencing-associated effects of DNA methylation of transgene sequences have been analyzed in many stably transformed plants, the methylation status of transgene sequences in the T-DNA during the transformation process has not been well-studied. Here we used agro-infiltration of the eGFP reporter gene in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves driven by either an AtEF1α-A4 or a CaMV-35S promoter to study early T-DNA methylation patterns of these promoter sequences. The T-DNA was examined by amplicon sequencing following sodium bisulfite treatment using three different sequencing platforms: Sanger sequencing, Ion Torrent PGM, and the Illumina MiSeq. Rapid DNA methylation was detectable in each promoter region just 2-3 days post-infiltration and the levels continued to rapidly accumulate over the first week, then steadily up to 21 days later. Cytosines in an asymmetric context (CHH) were the most heavily and rapidly methylated. This suggests that early T-DNA methylation may be important in determining the epigenetic and transcriptional fate of integrated transgenes. The Illumina MiSeq platform was the most sensitive and robust way of detecting and following the methylation profiles of the T-DNA promoters. The utility of the methods was then used to show a subtle but significant difference in promoter methylation during intron-mediated enhancement. In addition, the method was able to detect an increase in promoter methylation when the eGFP reporter gene was targeted by siRNAs generated by co-infiltration of a hairpin RNAi construct.

Comparative Analysis of DNA Methylation Reveals Specific Regulations on Ethylene Pathway in Tomato Fruit

DNA methylation is an essential feature of epigenetic regulation and plays a role in various physiological and biochemical processes at CG, CHG, and CHH sites in plants. LeERF1 is an ethylene response factor (ERF) found in tomatoes which plays an important role in ethylene signal transduction. To explore the characteristics of DNA methylation in the ethylene pathway, sense-/antisense-LeERF1 transgenic tomato fruit were chosen for deep sequencing and bioinformatics parsing. The methylation type with the greatest distribution was CG, (71.60–72.80%) and CHH was found least frequently (10.70–12.50%). The level of DNA methylation was different among different tomato genomic regions. The differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were conjointly analyzed and 3030 different expressed genes were found, of which several are involved in ethylene synthesis and signaling transduction (such as ACS, ACO, MADS-Box, ERFs, and F-box). Furthermore, the relationships between DNA methylation and microRNAs (miRNAs) were also deciphered, providing basic information for the further study of DNA methylation and small RNAs involved in the ethylene pathway.

Genome-wide DNA Methylation analysis in response to salinity in the model plant caliph medic (Medicago truncatula)

Background

DNA methylation has a potential role in controlling gene expression and may, therefore, contribute to salinity adaptation in plants. Caliph medic (Medicago truncatula) is a model legume of moderate salinity tolerance capacity; however, a base-resolution DNA methylome map is not yet available for this plant.

Results

In this report, a differential whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) was carried out using DNA samples extracted from root tissues exposed to either control or saline conditions. Around 50 million differentially methylated sites (DMSs) were recognized, 7% of which were significantly (p < 0.05, FDR < 0.05) altered in response to salinity. This analysis showed that 77.0% of the contexts of DMSs were mCHH, while only 9.1% and 13.9% were mCHG and mCG, respectively. The average change in methylation level was increased in all sequence contexts, ranging from 3.8 to 10.2% due to salinity stress. However, collectively, the level of the DNA methylation in the gene body slightly decreased in response to salinity treatment. The global increase in DNA methylation due to salinity was confirmed by mass spectrometry analysis. Gene expression analysis using qPCR did not reveal a constant relationship between the level of mCG methylation and the transcription abundance of some genes of potential importance in salinity tolerance, such as the potassium channel KAT3, the vacuolar H⁺-pyrophosphatase (V-PPase), and the AP2/ERF and bZIP transcription factors, implying the involvement of other epigenetic gene expression controllers. Computational functional prediction of the annotated genes that embrace DMSs revealed the presence of enzymes with potential cellular functions in biological processes associated with salinity tolerance mechanisms.

Conclusions

The information obtained from this study illustrates the effect of salinity on DNA methylation and shows how plants can remodel the landscape of 5-methylcytosine nucleotide (5-mC) in the DNA across gene structures, in response to salinity. This remodeling varies between gene regions and between 5-mC sequence contexts. The mCG has a vague impact on the expression levels of a few selected potentially important genes in salt tolerant mechanisms.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-4484-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Impacts of elevated CO2 on exogenous Bacillus thuringiensis toxins and transgene expression in transgenic rice under different levels of nitrogen

Recent studies have highlighted great challenges of transgene silencing for transgenic plants facing climate change. In order to understand the impacts of elevated CO2 on exogenous Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins and transgene expression in transgenic rice under different levels of N-fertilizer supply, we investigated the biomass, exogenous Bt toxins, Bt-transgene expression and methylation status in Bt rice exposed to two levels of CO2 concentrations and nitrogen (N) supply (1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1 and 2 N). It is elucidated that the increased levels of global atmospheric CO2 concentration will trigger up-regulation of Bt toxin expression in transgenic rice, especially with appropriate increase of N fertilizer supply, while, to some extent, the exogenous Bt-transgene expression is reduced at sub-N levels (1/4 and 1/2N), even though the total protein of plant tissues is reduced and the plant growth is restricted. The unpredictable and stochastic occurrence of transgene silencing and epigenetic alternations remains unresolved for most transgenic plants. It is expected that N fertilization supply may promote the expression of transgenic Bt toxin in transgenic Bt rice, particularly under elevated CO2.

Genome-wide identification of endogenous RNA-directed DNA methylation loci associated with abundant 21-nucleotide siRNAs in Arabidopsis

In Arabidopsis, the 24-nucleotide (nt) small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) mediates RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) and transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) of transposable elements (TEs). In the present study, we examined genome-wide changes in DNA methylation and siRNA accumulation in Arabidopsis induced by expression of the Cucumber mosaic virus silencing suppressor protein 2b known to directly bind to both the 21/24-nt siRNAs as well as their associated Argonaute proteins. We demonstrated a genome-wide reduction of CHH and CHG methylation in the 2b-transgenic plants. We found that 2b suppressed RdDM not only at the previously annotated loci directed by 24-nt siRNAs but also a new set of loci associated with 21/22-nt siRNAs. Further analysis showed that the reduced methylation of TEs and coding genes targeted by 21/22-nt siRNAs was associated with sequestration of the duplex siRNAs by the 2b protein but not with changes in either siRNA production or transcription. Notably, we detected both the deletion and/or the transposition of multicopy TEs associated with 2b-induced hypomethylation, suggesting potential TE reactivation. We propose that the silencing of many TEs in Arabidopsis is controlled by the 24- and 21-nt endogenous siRNAs analogous to Drosophila TE silencing by PIWI-interacting RNAs and siRNAs.

RNA-directed DNA methylation efficiency depends on trigger and target sequence identity

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in plants has been extensively studied, but the RNA molecules guiding the RdDM machinery to their targets are still to be characterized. It is unclear whether these molecules require full complementarity with their target. In this study, we have generated Nicotiana tabacum (Nt) plants carrying an infectious tomato apical stunt viroid (TASVd) transgene (Nt-TASVd) and a non-infectious potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) transgene (Nt-SB2). The two viroid sequences exhibit 81% sequence identity. Nt-TASVd and Nt-SB2 plants were genetically crossed. In the progeny plants (Nt-SB2/TASVd), deep sequencing of small RNAs (sRNAs) showed that TASVd infection was associated with the accumulation of abundant small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that mapped along the entire TASVd but only partially matched the SB2 transgene. TASVd siRNAs efficiently targeted SB2 RNA for degradation, but no transitivity was detectable. Bisulfite sequencing in the Nt-SB2/TASVd plants revealed that the TASVd transgene was targeted for dense cis-RdDM along its entire sequence. In the same plants, the SB2 transgene was targeted for trans-RdDM. The SB2 methylation pattern, however, was weak and heterogeneous, pointing to a positive correlation between trigger-target sequence identity and RdDM efficiency. Importantly, trans-RdDM on SB2 was also detected at sites where no homologous siRNAs were detected. Our data indicate that RdDM efficiency depends on the trigger-target sequence identity, and is not restricted to siRNA occupancy. These findings support recent data suggesting that RNAs with sizes longer than 24 nt (>24-nt RNAs) trigger RdDM.

Stable Epigenetic Variants Selected from an Induced Hypomethylated Fragaria vesca Population

Epigenetic inheritance was transmitted through selection over five generations of extreme early, but not late flowering time phenotypic lines in Fragaria vesca. Epigenetic variation was initially artificially induced using the DNA demethylation reagent 5-azacytidine (5-azaC). It is the first report to explore epigenetic variant selection and phenotypic trait inheritance in strawberry. Transmission frequency of these traits was determined across generations. The early flowering (EF4) and late stolon (LS) phenotypic traits were successfully transmitted across five and three generations through meiosis, respectively. Stable mitotic transmission of the early flowering phenotype was also demonstrated using clonal daughters derived from the 4th Generation (S4) mother plant. In order to further explore the DNA methylation patterns underlying the early flowering trait, the standard MSAP method using isoschizomers Hpa II/Msp I, and newly modified MSAP method using isoschizomers Tfi I/Pfe I which detected DNA methylation at CG, CHG, CHH sites were used in two early flowering lines, EF lines 1 (P2) and EF lines 2 (P3), and control lines (P1). A significant reduction in the number of fully-methylated bands was detected in P2 and P3 when compared to P1 using the novel MSAP method. In the standard MSAP, the symmetric CG and CHG methylation was maintained over generations in the early flowering lines based on the clustering in P2 and P3, the novel MSAP approach revealed the asymmetric CHH methylation pattern was not maintained over generations. This study provides evidence of stable selection of phenotypic traits, particularly early flowering through both meiosis and mitosis, which is meaningful to both breeding programs and commercial horticulture. The maintenance in CG and CHG methylation over generations suggests the early flowering phenotype might be related to DNA methylation alterations at the CG or CHG sites. Finally, this work provides a new approach for studying the role of epigenetics on complex quantitative trait improvement in strawberry, as well as providing a tool to expand phenotypic diversity and expedite potential new horticulture cultivar releases through either seed or vegetative propagation.

A preliminary exploration on DNA methylation of transgene across generations in transgenic rats

Epigenetic heritability is an important issue in the field of genetics and also in the development of many human diseases. In this study, we created a transgenic rat model and investigated the transgenerational methylation patterns in these animals. The transgene DNA fragment was unmethylated before it was injected into the pronucleus, so it is a good model to study the inheritance of DNA methylation patterns. We performed bisulfite sequencing on 23 CpG dinucleotides on the transgene across three generations in two tissues. We observed that the transgene was heavily methylated in the liver (87.53%) from the founder generation, whereas its methylation rate was much lower in the kidney (70.47%). Spearman correlation analysis showed that there was a strong correlation on the methylation status between different generations in the same tissue, which was observed in both liver and kidney, and among all individuals in this pedigree. This study provided some evidence that DNA methylation patterns acquired in the founder animal can be passed to the offspring.

Replicating Potato spindle tuber viroid mediates de novo methylation of an intronic viroid sequence but no cleavage of the corresponding pre-mRNA

In plants, Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) replication triggers post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) of homologous RNA and DNA sequences, respectively. PTGS predominantly occurs in the cytoplasm, but nuclear PTGS has been also reported. In this study, we investigated whether the nuclear replicating PSTVd is able to trigger nuclear PTGS. Transgenic tobacco plants carrying cytoplasmic and nuclear PTGS sensor constructs were PSTVd-infected resulting in the generation of abundant PSTVd-derived small interfering RNAs (vd-siRNAs). Northern blot analysis revealed that, in contrast to the cytoplasmic sensor, the nuclear sensor transcript was not targeted for RNA degradation. Bisulfite sequencing analysis showed that the nuclear PTGS sensor transgene was efficiently targeted for RdDM. Our data suggest that PSTVd fails to trigger nuclear PTGS, and that RdDM and nuclear PTGS are not necessarily coupled.

Virus-induced gene silencing in transgenic plants: transgene silencing and reactivation associate with two patterns of transgene body methylation

We used bisulfite sequencing to study the methylation of a viral transgene whose expression was silenced upon plum pox virus infection of the transgenic plant and its subsequent recovery as a consequence of so-called virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). VIGS was associated with a general increase in the accumulation of small RNAs corresponding to the coding region of the viral transgene. After VIGS, the transgene promoter was not methylated and the coding region showed uneven methylation, with the 5' end being mostly unmethylated in the recovered tissue or mainly methylated at CG sites in regenerated silenced plants. The methylation increased towards the 3' end, which showed dense methylation in all three contexts (CG, CHG and CHH). This methylation pattern and the corresponding silenced status were maintained after plant regeneration from recovered silenced tissue and did not spread into the promoter region, but were not inherited in the sexual offspring. Instead, a new pattern of methylation was observed in the progeny plants consisting of disappearance of the CHH methylation, similar CHG methylation at the 3' end, and an overall increase in CG methylation in the 5' end. The latter epigenetic state was inherited over several generations and did not correlate with transgene silencing and hence virus resistance. These results suggest that the widespread CG methylation pattern found in body gene bodies located in euchromatic regions of plant genomes may reflect an older silencing event, and most likely these genes are no longer silenced.

An endogene-resembling transgene is resistant to DNA methylation and systemic silencing

In plants, endogenes are less prone to RNA silencing than transgenes. While both can be efficiently targeted by small RNAs for post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), generally only transgene PTGS is accompanied by transitivity, RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) and systemic silencing. In order to investigate whether a transgene could mimick an endogene and thus be less susceptible to RNA silencing, we generated an intron-containing, endogene-resembling GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN (GFP) transgene (GFP(endo)). Upon agroinfiltration of a hairpin GFP (hpF) construct, transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana plants harboring GFP(endo) (Nb-GFP(endo)) were susceptible to local PTGS. Yet, in the local area, PTGS was not accompanied by RdDM of the GFP(endo) coding region. Importantly, hpF-agroinfiltrated Nb-GFP(endo) plants were resistant to systemic silencing. For reasons of comparison, transgenic N. benthamiana plants (Nb-GFP(cDNA)) carrying a GFP cDNA transgene (GFP(cDNA)) were included in the analysis. HpF-agroinfiltrated Nb-GFP(cDNA) plants exhibited local PTGS and RdDM. In addition, systemic silencing was established in Nb-GFP(cDNA) plants. In agreement with previous reports using grafted scions, in systemically silenced tissue, siRNAs mapping to the 3' of GFP were predominantly detectable by Northern blot analysis. Yet, in contrast to other reports, in systemically silenced leaves, PTGS was also accompanied by dense RdDM comprising the entire GFP(cDNA) coding region. Overall, our analysis indicated that cDNA transgenes are prone to systemic PTGS and RdDM, while endogene-resembling ones are resistant to RNA silencing.

Roles, and establishment, maintenance and erasing of the epigenetic cytosine methylation marks in plants

Heritable information in plants consists of genomic information in DNA sequence and epigenetic information superimposed on DNA sequence. The latter is in the form of cytosine methylation at CG, CHG and CHH elements (where H = A, T orC) and a variety of histone modifications in nucleosomes. The epialleles arising from cytosine methylation marks on the nuclear genomic loci have better heritability than the epiallelic variation due to chromatin marks. Phenotypic variation is increased manifold by epiallele comprised methylomes. Plants (angiosperms) have highly conserved genetic mechanisms to establish, maintain or erase cytosine methylation from epialleles. The methylation marks in plants fluctuate according to the cell/tissue/organ in the vegetative and reproductive phases of plant life cycle. They also change according to environment. Epialleles arise by gain or loss of cytosine methylation marks on genes. The changes occur due to the imperfection of the processes that establish and maintain the marks and on account of spontaneous and stress imposed removal of marks. Cytosine methylation pattern acquired in response to abiotic or biotic stress is often inherited over one to several subsequent generations.Cytosine methylation marks affect physiological functions of plants via their effect(s) on gene expression levels. They also repress transposable elements that are abundantly present in plant genomes. The density of their distribution along chromosome lengths affects meiotic recombination rate, while their removal increases mutation rate. Transposon activation due to loss of methylation causes rearrangements such that new gene regulatory networks arise and genes for microRNAs may originate. Cytosine methylation dynamics contribute to evolutionary changes. This review presents and discusses the available evidence on origin, removal and roles of cytosine methylation and on related processes, such as RNA directed DNA methylation, imprinting, paramutation and transgenerational memory in plants.

Epigenetic variation, inheritance, and parent-of-origin effects of cytosine methylation in maize (Zea mays)

Pure epigenetic variation, or epigenetic variation that is independent of genetic context, may provide a mechanism for phenotypic variation in the absence of DNA mutations. To estimate the extent of pure epigenetic variation within and across generations and to identify the DNA regions targeted, a group of eight plants derived from a highly inbred line of maize (Zea mays) was analyzed by the methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) technique. We found that cytosine methylation (mC) differences among individuals accounted for up to 7.4% of CCGG sites investigated by MSAP. Of the differentially methylated fragments (DMFs) identified in the S0 generation, ∼12% were meiotically inherited for at least six generations. We show that meiotically heritable mC variation was consistently generated for an average of 0.5% CCGG sites per generation and that it largely occurred somatically. We provide evidence that mC variation can be established and inherited in a parent-of-origin manner, given that the paternal lineage is more prone to both forward and reverse mC changes. The molecular characterization of selected DMFs revealed that the variation was largely determined by CG methylation changes that map within gene regions. The expression analysis of genes overlapping with DMFs did not reveal an obvious correlation between mC variation and transcription, reinforcing the idea that the primary function of gene-body methylation is not to control gene expression. Because this study focuses on epigenetic variation in field-grown plants, the data presented herein pertain to spontaneous epigenetic changes of the maize genome in a natural context.

Epigenetic variation in asexually reproducing organisms

The role that epigenetic inheritance can play in adaptation may differ between sexuals and asexuals because (1) the dynamics of adaptation differ under sexual and asexual reproduction and the opportunities offered by epigenetic inheritance may affect these dynamics differently; and (2) in asexual reproduction epigenetic reprogramming mechanisms that are associated with meiosis can be bypassed, which could promote the buildup of epigenetic variation in asexuals. Here, we evaluate current evidence for an epigenetic contribution to adaptation in asexuals. We argue that two aspects of epigenetic variation should have particular relevance for asexuals, namely epigenetics-mediated phenotypic plasticity within and between generations, and heritable variation via stochastic epimutations. An evaluation of epigenetic reprogramming mechanisms suggests that some, but not all, forms of asexual reproduction enhance the likelihood of stable transmission of epigenetic marks across generations compared to sexual reproduction. However, direct tests of these predicted sexual-asexual differences are virtually lacking. Stable transmission of DNA methylation, transcriptomes, and phenotypes from parent to clonal offspring are demonstrated in various asexual species, and clonal genotypes from natural populations show habitat-specific DNA methylation. We discuss how these initial observations can be extended to demonstrate an epigenetic contribution to adaptation.

Progressive 35S promoter methylation increases rapidly during vegetative development in transgenic Nicotiana attenuata plants

BACKGROUND

Genetically modified plants are widely used in agriculture and increasingly in ecological research to enable the selective manipulation of plant traits in the field. Despite their broad usage, many aspects of unwanted transgene silencing throughout plant development are still poorly understood. A transgene can be epigenetically silenced by a process called RNA directed DNA methylation (RdDM), which can be seen as a heritable loss of gene expression. The spontaneous nature of transgene silencing has been widely reported, but patterns of acquirement remain still unclear.

RESULTS

Transgenic wild tobacco plants (Nicotiana attenuata) expressing heterologous genes coding for antimicrobial peptides displayed an erratic and variable occurrence of transgene silencing. We focused on three independently transformed lines (PNA 1.2, PNA 10.1 and ICE 4.4) as they rapidly lost the expression of the resistance marker and down-regulated transgene expression by more than 200 fold after only one plant generation. Bisulfite sequencing indicated hypermethylation within the 35S and NOS promoters of these lines. To shed light on the progress of methylation establishment, we successively sampled leaf tissues from different stages during plant development and found a rapid increase in 35S promoter methylation during vegetative growth (up to 77% absolute increase within 45 days of growth). The levels of de novo methylation were inherited by the offspring without any visible discontinuation. A secondary callus regeneration step could interfere with the establishment of gene silencing and we found successfully restored transgene expression in the offspring of several regenerants.

CONCLUSIONS

The unpredictability of the gene silencing process requires a thorough selection and early detection of unstable plant lines. De novo methylation of the transgenes was acquired solely during vegetative development and did not require a generational change for its establishment or enhancement. A secondary callus regeneration step provides a convenient way to rescue transgene expression without causing undesirable morphological effects, which is essential for experiments that use transformed plants in the analysis of ecologically important traits.

Epigenetic switches of tobacco transgenes associate with transient redistribution of histone marks in callus culture

In plants, silencing is usually accompanied by DNA methylation and heterochromatic histone marks. We studied these epigenetic modifications in different epialleles of 35S promoter (P35S)-driven tobacco transgenes. In locus 1, the T-DNA was organized as an inverted repeat, and the residing neomycin phosphotransferase II reporter gene (P35S-nptII) was silenced at the posttranscriptional (PTGS) level. Transcriptionally silenced (TGS) epialleles were generated by trans-acting RNA signals in hybrids or in a callus culture. PTGS to TGS conversion in callus culture was accompanied by loss of the euchromatic H3K4me3 mark in the transcribed region of locus 1, but this change was not transmitted to the regenerated plants from these calli. In contrast, cytosine methylation that spread from the transcribed region into the promoter was maintained in regenerants. Also, the TGS epialleles generated by trans-acting siRNAs did not change their active histone modifications. Thus, both TGS and PTGS epialleles exhibit euchromatic (H3K4me3 and H3K9ac) histone modifications despite heavy DNA methylation in the promoter and transcribed region, respectively. However, in the TGS locus (271), abundant heterochromatic H3K9me2 marks and DNA methylation were present on P35S. Heterochromatic histone modifications are not automatically installed on transcriptionally silenced loci in tobacco, suggesting that repressive histone marks and cytosine methylation may be uncoupled. However, transient loss of euchromatic modifications may guide de novo DNA methylation leading to formation of stable repressed epialleles with recovered eukaryotic marks. Compilation of available data on epigenetic modification of inactivated P35S in different systems is provided.

An endogene-resembling transgene delays the onset of silencing and limits siRNA accumulation

In plants, transgenes are generally more sensitive against RNA silencing than endogenes are. In this study, we generated a transgene that structurally mimicks an endogene. It is composed of endogenous promoter, 5'-UTR, introns, 3'-UTR and terminator elements. Our data revealed that, in contrast to a conventional transgene, an endogene-resembling transgene was more stably expressed and poorly processed into small RNAs. In addition, although both constructs triggered methylation of homologous DNA sequences at similar levels, the endogene-resembling transgene exhibited significantly delayed onset of local and systemic silencing.