The control of natural variation in cytosine methylation in Arabidopsis
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Updated: Apr 29, 2026

Determination of DNA Methylation of Imprinted Genes in Arabidopsis Endosperm
Published on: January 29, 2011
Nicole C Riddle1, Eric J Richards
1Department of Biology, Washington University, Saint Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
Abstract:
We explore the extent and sources of epigenetic variation in cytosine methylation in natural accessions of the flowering plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, by focusing on the methylation of the major rRNA gene repeats at the two nucleolus organizer regions (NOR). Our findings indicate that natural variation in NOR methylation results from a combination of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms. Genetic variation in rRNA gene copy number and trans-acting modifier loci account for some of the natural variation in NOR methylation. Our results also suggest that divergence and inheritance of epigenetic information, independent of changes in underlying nucleotide sequence, may play an important role in maintaining natural variation in cytosine methylation.
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Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
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Position-effect Variegation
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
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Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids

