Partial redundancy buffers deleterious effects of mutating DNA methyltransferase 1-1 (MET1-1) in polyploid wheat.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation plays important roles in gene expression, transposable element silencing, and genome stability. Altering DNA methylation could generate additional phenotypic variation for crop breeding, however the lethality of epigenetic mutants in crop species has hindered its investigation. Here, we exploit partial redundancy between homoeologues in polyploid wheat to generate viable mutants in the DNA methyltransferase 1-1 (MET1-1) gene with altered methylation profiles. In Triticum turgidum (tetraploid wheat) and Triticum aestivum (hexaploid wheat), we found under-representation of higher order mutants (5/6 and 6/6 mutant met1-1 copies in hexaploid wheat and 3/4 and 4/4 copies in tetraploid wheat) when genotyping segregating seeds and seedlings, due to reduced transmission of null mut

SUBMITTER: Burrows S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12192439 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature