Multi-omics maps of cotton fibre reveal epigenetic basis for staged single-cell differentiation.

ABSTRACT: Epigenetic modifications are highlighted for their great importance in regulating plant development, but their function associated with single-cell differentiation remains undetermined. Here, we used the cotton fibre, which is the epidermal hair on the cotton ovule, as a model to investigate the regulatory role of DNA methylation in cell differentiation. The level of CHH (H = A, T, or C) DNA methylation level was found to increase during fibre development, accompanied by a decrease in RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). Examination of nucleosome positioning revealed a gradual transition from euchromatin to heterochromatin for chromatin dynamics in developing fibres, which could shape the DNA methylation landscape. The observed increase in DNA methylation in fibres, compared with other ovu

SUBMITTER: Wang M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4872108 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature