Arabidopsis shoot stem cells display dynamic transcription and DNA methylation patterns.

ABSTRACT: In plants, aerial organs originate continuously from stem cells in the center of the shoot apical meristem. Descendants of stem cells in the subepidermal layer are progenitors of germ cells, giving rise to male and female gametes. In these cells, mutations, including insertions of transposable elements or viruses, must be avoided to preserve genome integrity across generations. To investigate the molecular characteristics of stem cells in Arabidopsis, we isolated their nuclei and analyzed stage-specific gene expression and DNA methylation in plants of different ages. Stem cell expression signatures are largely defined by developmental stage but include a core set of stem cell-specific genes, among which are genes implicated in epigenetic silencing. Transiently increased expression of trans

SUBMITTER: Gutzat R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7560203 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature