Depletion of MOM1 in non-dividing cells of Arabidopsis plants releases transcriptional gene silencing.

ABSTRACT: Mitotic and meiotic inheritance of epigenetic information is coupled to the reproduction of chromatin conformation and DNA methylation patterns. This implies that the S phase of the cell cycle provides a window of opportunity for changes in epigenetic determination. Recent studies, however, have suggested that chromatin structure is also rather dynamic in quiescent cells of multicellular eukaryotes and that silent heterochromatic regions can become accessible to transcription. Such epigenetic flexibility in differentiated tissues could be of physiological importance. The mechanisms and molecular components involved are of great interest but as yet unknown. We examined MOM1 (Morpheus' Molecule 1), a regulator of transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) that acts independently of DNA methylation

SUBMITTER: Tariq M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1307620 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature