REM transcription factors and GDE1 shape the DNA methylation landscape through the recruitment of RNA Polymerase IV transcription complexes
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
INSTRUMENT(S): Orbitrap Fusion Lumos
ORGANISM(S): Arabidopsis Thaliana (ncbitaxon:3702)
SUBMITTER: 
Steven E Jacobsen
PROVIDER: MSV000097625 | MassIVE | Mon Apr 14 15:47:00 BST 2025
REPOSITORIES: MassIVE
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Project description:In plants, the maintenance of DNA methylation is controlled by several self-reinforcing loops involving histone methylation and non-coding RNAs. However, how methylation is initially patterned at specific genomic loci is largely unknown. Here, we describe four Arabidopsis REM transcription factors, VDD, VAL, REM12 and REM13, that recognize specific sequence regions, and together with the protein GENETICS DETERMINES EPIGENETICS1 (GDE1), recruit RNA polymerase IV transcription complexes. This targeted recruitment leads to the production of 24-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (24nt-siRNAs) that guide DNA methylation to specific genomic sites in plant female reproductive tissues. In the absence of GDE1, Pol IV transcription complexes are directed to loci bound by an alternative transcription factor, REM8, highlighting the role of REM transcription factors and GDE1 proteins as positional cues for epigenetic modulation. These findings establish a direct connection between sequence-specific transcription factors and the spatial regulation of siRNAs production and DNA methylation, offering new insights into the genetic control of epigenetic patterning.
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Project description:Abstract: Cytosine DNA methylation plays crucial roles in gene regulation, transposon silencing, and diverse developmental processes. While methylation patterns are known to differ between cell-types, tissues, and disease states, how these differences arise remains poorly understood. In plants, DNA methylation is established via the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM), wherein 24-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) guide methylation at cognate genomic loci1. RNA POLYMERASE-IV (Pol-IV), a plant-specific polymerase, initiates the biogenesis of these methylation-targeting RNAs, thus understanding how Pol-IV is regulated is critical in determining how specific patterns of DNA methylation are generated. Here we show roles for four Pol-IV-associated factors, CLASSY (CLSY) 1-42,3, in both locus-specific and global regulation of Pol-IV function. Individually, each CLSY protein controls siRNA production and Pol-IV chromatin association at unique set of loci. This translates into locus-specific DNA methylation losses and the release of silencing. In addition to locus-specific effects, several layers of redundancy were identified: The clsy1,2 and clsy3,4 mutants act synergistically, regulating thousands more siRNA loci than the single mutants. Furthermore, the clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci are mutually exclusive and geographically distinct, revealing a striking division of labor amongst the CLSY family. Finally, the clsy quadruple mutant causes global siRNA losses, demonstrating that Pol-IV is completely dependent on the CLSY family. Investigation into the mechanisms underlying the CLSY specificity revealed connections between clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci and either SAWADEE HOMEODOMAIN HOMOLOG 1 or DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1, demonstrating a reliance on different chromatin modifications, H3K9 or CG DNA methylation, respectively4,5. Together, these findings not only shed light on Pol-IV function, but also reveal an additional layer of complexity to the RdDM pathway that enables the locus-specific control of DNA methylation patterns. Given the parallels between methylation systems in plants and mammals1, these findings will be informative for analogous processes in a broad range of organisms.
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Project description:Abstract: Cytosine DNA methylation plays crucial roles in gene regulation, transposon silencing, and diverse developmental processes. While methylation patterns are known to differ between cell-types, tissues, and disease states, how these differences arise remains poorly understood. In plants, DNA methylation is established via the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM), wherein 24-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) guide methylation at cognate genomic loci1. RNA POLYMERASE-IV (Pol-IV), a plant-specific polymerase, initiates the biogenesis of these methylation-targeting RNAs, thus understanding how Pol-IV is regulated is critical in determining how specific patterns of DNA methylation are generated. Here we show roles for four Pol-IV-associated factors, CLASSY (CLSY) 1-42,3, in both locus-specific and global regulation of Pol-IV function. Individually, each CLSY protein controls siRNA production and Pol-IV chromatin association at unique set of loci. This translates into locus-specific DNA methylation losses and the release of silencing. In addition to locus-specific effects, several layers of redundancy were identified: The clsy1,2 and clsy3,4 mutants act synergistically, regulating thousands more siRNA loci than the single mutants. Furthermore, the clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci are mutually exclusive and geographically distinct, revealing a striking division of labor amongst the CLSY family. Finally, the clsy quadruple mutant causes global siRNA losses, demonstrating that Pol-IV is completely dependent on the CLSY family. Investigation into the mechanisms underlying the CLSY specificity revealed connections between clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci and either SAWADEE HOMEODOMAIN HOMOLOG 1 or DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1, demonstrating a reliance on different chromatin modifications, H3K9 or CG DNA methylation, respectively4,5. Together, these findings not only shed light on Pol-IV function, but also reveal an additional layer of complexity to the RdDM pathway that enables the locus-specific control of DNA methylation patterns. Given the parallels between methylation systems in plants and mammals1, these findings will be informative for analogous processes in a broad range of organisms.
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Project description:Abstract: Cytosine DNA methylation plays crucial roles in gene regulation, transposon silencing, and diverse developmental processes. While methylation patterns are known to differ between cell-types, tissues, and disease states, how these differences arise remains poorly understood. In plants, DNA methylation is established via the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM), wherein 24-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) guide methylation at cognate genomic loci1. RNA POLYMERASE-IV (Pol-IV), a plant-specific polymerase, initiates the biogenesis of these methylation-targeting RNAs, thus understanding how Pol-IV is regulated is critical in determining how specific patterns of DNA methylation are generated. Here we show roles for four Pol-IV-associated factors, CLASSY (CLSY) 1-42,3, in both locus-specific and global regulation of Pol-IV function. Individually, each CLSY protein controls siRNA production and Pol-IV chromatin association at unique set of loci. This translates into locus-specific DNA methylation losses and the release of silencing. In addition to locus-specific effects, several layers of redundancy were identified: The clsy1,2 and clsy3,4 mutants act synergistically, regulating thousands more siRNA loci than the single mutants. Furthermore, the clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci are mutually exclusive and geographically distinct, revealing a striking division of labor amongst the CLSY family. Finally, the clsy quadruple mutant causes global siRNA losses, demonstrating that Pol-IV is completely dependent on the CLSY family. Investigation into the mechanisms underlying the CLSY specificity revealed connections between clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci and either SAWADEE HOMEODOMAIN HOMOLOG 1 or DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1, demonstrating a reliance on different chromatin modifications, H3K9 or CG DNA methylation, respectively4,5. Together, these findings not only shed light on Pol-IV function, but also reveal an additional layer of complexity to the RdDM pathway that enables the locus-specific control of DNA methylation patterns. Given the parallels between methylation systems in plants and mammals1, these findings will be informative for analogous processes in a broad range of organisms.
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Project description:Abstract: Cytosine DNA methylation plays crucial roles in gene regulation, transposon silencing, and diverse developmental processes. While methylation patterns are known to differ between cell-types, tissues, and disease states, how these differences arise remains poorly understood. In plants, DNA methylation is established via the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM), wherein 24-nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) guide methylation at cognate genomic loci1. RNA POLYMERASE-IV (Pol-IV), a plant-specific polymerase, initiates the biogenesis of these methylation-targeting RNAs, thus understanding how Pol-IV is regulated is critical in determining how specific patterns of DNA methylation are generated. Here we show roles for four Pol-IV-associated factors, CLASSY (CLSY) 1-42,3, in both locus-specific and global regulation of Pol-IV function. Individually, each CLSY protein controls siRNA production and Pol-IV chromatin association at unique set of loci. This translates into locus-specific DNA methylation losses and the release of silencing. In addition to locus-specific effects, several layers of redundancy were identified: The clsy1,2 and clsy3,4 mutants act synergistically, regulating thousands more siRNA loci than the single mutants. Furthermore, the clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci are mutually exclusive and geographically distinct, revealing a striking division of labor amongst the CLSY family. Finally, the clsy quadruple mutant causes global siRNA losses, demonstrating that Pol-IV is completely dependent on the CLSY family. Investigation into the mechanisms underlying the CLSY specificity revealed connections between clsy1,2- and clsy3,4-dependent loci and either SAWADEE HOMEODOMAIN HOMOLOG 1 or DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1, demonstrating a reliance on different chromatin modifications, H3K9 or CG DNA methylation, respectively4,5. Together, these findings not only shed light on Pol-IV function, but also reveal an additional layer of complexity to the RdDM pathway that enables the locus-specific control of DNA methylation patterns. Given the parallels between methylation systems in plants and mammals1, these findings will be informative for analogous processes in a broad range of organisms.
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Project description:Gene expression in endosperm – a seed tissue that mediates transfer of maternal resources to offspring – is under complex epigenetic control. We show here that plant-specific RNA Polymerase IV mediates parental control of endosperm gene expression. Pol IV is required for the production of small interfering RNAs that typically direct DNA methylation. We compared small RNAs, DNA methylation, and mRNAs in A. thaliana endosperm from reciprocal heterozygotes produced by crossing wild-type plants to Pol IV mutants. We find that maternally and paternally acting Pol IV have divergent effects on endosperm. Losses of maternal and paternal Pol IV impact sRNAs and DNA methylation at distinct genomic sites. Strikingly, maternally and paternally-acting Pol IV have antagonistic impacts on gene expression at some loci, divergently promoting or repressing endosperm gene expression. Antagonistic parent-of origin effects have only rarely been described and are consistent with a gene regulatory system evolving under parental conflict
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Project description:DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mark in many eukaryotic organisms. De novo DNA methylation in plants can be achieved by the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway, where the plant-specific DNA-dependent RNA polymerase Pol IV transcribes target sequences to initiate 24-nt siRNA production and action. The Arabidopsis DTF1/SHH1 has been shown to associate with Pol IV and is required for 24-nt siRNA accumulation and transcriptional silencing at several RdDM target loci. However, the extent and mechanism of DTF1 function in RdDM is unclear. We show here that DTF1 is necessary for the accumulation of the majority of Pol IV-dependent 24-nt siRNAs. It is also required for a large proportion of Pol IV-dependent de novo DNA methylation. Interestingly, there is a group of RdDM target loci where 24-nt siRNA accumulation but not DNA methylation is dependent on DTF1. Taken together, our results show that DTF1 is a core component of the RdDM pathway. Our results also suggest the involvement of DTF1 in an important negative feedback mechanism for DNA methylation at some RdDM target loci. Examination of whole-genome DNA methylation and small RNA in 12-day-old Col-0, dtf1-2, nrpd1-3 and nrpe1-11 seedlings
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