Epigenetic inheritance in rice plants.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Epigenetics is defined as mechanisms that regulate gene expression without base sequence alteration. One molecular basis is considered to be DNA cytosine methylation, which reversibly modifies DNA or chromatin structures. Although its correlation with epigenetic inheritance over generations has been circumstantially shown, evidence at the gene level has been limited. The present study aims to find genes whose methylation status directly correlates with inheritance of phenotypic changes.

Methods

DNA methylation in vivo was artificially reduced by treating rice (Oryza sativa ssp. japonica) seeds with 5-azadeoxycytidine, and the progeny were cultivated in the field for > 10 years. Genomic regions with changed methylation status were screened by the methylati

SUBMITTER: Akimoto K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2735323 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature