Stable unmethylated DNA demarcates expressed genes and their cis-regulatory space in plant genomes.

ABSTRACT: The genomic sequences of crops continue to be produced at a frenetic pace. It remains challenging to develop complete annotations of functional genes and regulatory elements in these genomes. Chromatin accessibility assays enable discovery of functional elements; however, to uncover the full portfolio of cis-elements would require profiling of many combinations of cell types, tissues, developmental stages, and environments. Here, we explore the potential to use DNA methylation profiles to develop more complete annotations. Using leaf tissue in maize, we define ∼100,000 unmethylated regions (UMRs) that account for 5.8% of the genome; 33,375 UMRs are found greater than 2 kb from genes. UMRs are highly stable in multiple vegetative tissues, and they capture the vast majority of accessible chr

SUBMITTER: Crisp PA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7519222 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature