Epigenetic regulation of intragenic transposable elements impacts gene transcription in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: Genomes of higher eukaryotes, including plants, contain numerous transposable elements (TEs), that are often silenced by epigenetic mechanisms, such as histone modifications and DNA methylation. Although TE silencing adversely affects expression of nearby genes, recent studies reveal the presence of intragenic TEs marked by repressive heterochromatic epigenetic marks within transcribed genes. However, even for the well-studied plant model Arabidopsis thaliana, the abundance of intragenic TEs, how they are epigenetically regulated, and their potential impacts on host gene expression, remain unexplored. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed genome-wide distribution and epigenetic regulation of intragenic TEs in A. thaliana. Our analysis revealed that about 3% of TEs are located within g

SUBMITTER: Le TN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4417168 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature