Atypical DNA methylation of genes encoding cysteine-rich peptides in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In plants, transposons and non-protein-coding repeats are epigenetically silenced by CG and non-CG methylation. This pattern of methylation is mediated in part by small RNAs and two specialized RNA polymerases, termed Pol IV and Pol V, in a process called RNA-directed DNA methylation. By contrast, many protein-coding genes transcribed by Pol II contain in their gene bodies exclusively CG methylation that is independent of small RNAs and Pol IV/Pol V activities. It is unclear how the different methylation machineries distinguish between transposons and genes. Here we report on a group of atypical genes that display in their coding region a transposon-like methylation pattern, which is associated with gene silencing in sporophytic tissues.

Results

We performed a met

SUBMITTER: You W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3422182 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature