Abstract
A unique feature of late-flowering fwa epigenetic mutations is that the phenotype is caused by ectopic expression of the homeobox gene FWA. During normal development the FWA gene is expressed specifically in the endosperm in an imprinted manner. Ectopic FWA expression and disruption of imprinting can be induced in mutants of a CG methyltransferase MET1 (methyltransferase 1) or a chromatin-remodeling gene DDM1 (decrease in DNA methylation 1), suggesting that the proper FWA expression depends on cytosine methylation. However, critical methylated residues controlling FWA silencing are not pinpointed. Nor is it understood how the FWA gene is initially methylated and silenced in wild-type plants. Here we mapped sequences critical for FWA silencing by application of RdDM (RNA-directed DNA methylation) to a ddm1-induced stable fwa epiallele. Transcription of double-stranded RNA corresponding to the tandem direct repeats around the FWA transcription start site induced de novo DNA methylation, transcriptional suppression and phenotypic reversion. The induced changes were heritable even without the transgene, which correlates with inheritance of CG methylation in the direct repeats. The newly silenced FWA allele was transcribed in an endosperm-specific and imprinted manner, as is the case for the wild-type FWA gene. The results indicate that methylation of the direct repeats, which presumably originated from a short interspersed nuclear element (SINE), is sufficient to induce proper epigenetic control of the FWA gene.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Transcription of double-stranded RNA corresponding to the tandem direct repeats around the FWA transcription start site induced de novo DNA methylation, transcriptional suppression and phenotypic reversion.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thaliana
Arabidopsis thalianat0 - Treatment
- Transcription of double-stranded RNA corresponding to the tandem direct repeatse1
- Gene
- FWAe1
- Outcome
- de novo DNA methylation, transcriptional suppression and phenotypic reversione1
- Direction
- inducede1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
e1“Transcription of double-stranded RNA corresponding to the tandem direct repeats around the FWA transcription start site induced de novo DNA methylation, transcriptional suppression and phenotypic reversion”
Claim · model-written summary
The induced changes were heritable even without the transgene.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Outcome
- induced changes were heritablee1
- Qualifier
- even without the transgenee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
e1“The induced changes were heritable even without the transgene”
Claim · model-written summary
Heritability of the induced changes correlates with inheritance of CG methylation in the direct repeats.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Gene
- direct repeatse1
- Outcome
- inheritance of CG methylation in the direct repeatse1
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
e1“which correlates with inheritance of CG methylation in the direct repeats”
Claim · model-written summary
The newly silenced FWA allele was transcribed in an endosperm-specific and imprinted manner, as is the wild-type FWA gene.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Organ / stage
- endosperme1
- Gene
- newly silenced FWA allelee1
- Outcome
- transcribed in an endosperm-specific and imprinted mannere1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
e1“The newly silenced FWA allele was transcribed in an endosperm-specific and imprinted manner, as is the case for the wild-type FWA gene”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude that methylation of the direct repeats, presumably of SINE origin, is sufficient to induce proper epigenetic control of the FWA gene.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis thalianaArabidopsis thalianat0
- Gene
- FWAe1
- Outcome
- proper epigenetic control of the FWA genee1
- Qualifier
- is sufficiente1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Arabidopsis thaliana”
e1“methylation of the direct repeats, which presumably originated from a short interspersed nuclear element (SINE), is sufficient to induce proper epigenetic control of the FWA gene”
The same questions in other papers
double-stranded RNA · molecular: expression · Arabidopsis thaliana (thale cress)Positive and negative results
3 papers in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- positive
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.