Role of histone and DNA methylation in gene regulation

Transcription is known to be regulated by given chromatin states, distinguished as transcriptionally active euchromatin and silent heterochromatin. In plants, silencing in heterochromatin is associated with hypermethylation of DNA and specific covalent modifications of histone H3. Several lines of evidence have suggested that maintenance of DNA methylation patterns at CG sequences is responsible for the formation of stable and thus heritable activity states termed epialleles. By contrast, histone modification and DNA methylation outside CGs confer the flexibility of transcriptional regulation necessary for plant development and adaptive responses to the environment. Recent studies have refined our understanding of the biological significance of and the molecular mechanisms involved in the interplay between DNA and histone H3 methylation.