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Related Concept Videos

Dihybrid Crosses01:18

Dihybrid Crosses

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Monohybrid Crosses01:20

Monohybrid Crosses

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Incomplete Dominance01:43

Incomplete Dominance

Gregor Mendel's work (1822 - 1884) was primarily focused on pea plants. Through his initial experiments, he determined that every gene in a diploid cell has two variants called alleles inherited from each parent. He suggested that amongst these two alleles, one allele is dominant in character and the other recessive. The combination of alleles determines the phenotype of a gene in an organism.
Position-effect Variegation02:32

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.
Epistasis Analysis01:09

Epistasis Analysis

Although Mendel chose seven unrelated traits in peas to study gene segregation, most traits involve multiple gene interactions that create a spectrum of phenotypes. When the interaction of various genes or alleles at different locations influences a phenotype, this is called epistasis. Epistasis often involves one gene masking or interfering with the expression of another (antagonistic epistasis). Epistasis often occurs when different genes are part of the same biochemical pathway. The...
Law of Independent Assortment02:03

Law of Independent Assortment

While Mendel’s Law of Segregation states that the two alleles for one gene are separated into different gametes, a different question of how different genes are inherited remains. For example, is the gene for tall plants inherited with the gene for green peas? Mendel asked this question by experimenting with a dihybrid cross; a cross in which both parents are homozygous for two distinct traits resulting in an F1 generation that are heterozygous for both traits.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Agrobacterium-Mediated Immature Embryo Transformation of Recalcitrant Maize Inbred Lines Using Morphogenic Genes
10:28

Agrobacterium-Mediated Immature Embryo Transformation of Recalcitrant Maize Inbred Lines Using Morphogenic Genes

Published on: February 14, 2020

Heritable epigenetic variation among maize inbreds.

Steve R Eichten1, Ruth A Swanson-Wagner, James C Schnable

  • 1Microbial and Plant Genomics Institute, Department of Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA.

Plos Genetics
|November 30, 2011
PubMed
Summary

This study identified natural epigenetic variation in maize, including pure epigenetic changes not linked to DNA sequence differences. These epigenetic variations are heritable and can influence complex traits.

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Lignin Down-regulation of Zea mays via dsRNAi and Klason Lignin Analysis

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Area of Science:

  • Plant genetics
  • Epigenetics
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Epigenetic variation refers to heritable differences not caused by DNA sequence changes.
  • Cytosine methylation is a key mechanism for inheriting epigenetic information.
  • Maize (Zea mays) presents a complex genome suitable for studying natural epigenetic variation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and characterize natural epigenetic variation in maize.
  • To investigate the role of DNA methylation in epigenetic inheritance.
  • To distinguish pure epigenetic variation from genetically influenced variation.

Main Methods:

  • Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling using immunoprecipitation and high-density tiling microarrays.
  • Comparison of methylation patterns between two maize genotypes (B73 and Mo17).
  • Analysis of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in near-isogenic lines.

Main Results:

  • Approximately 700 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified between maize genotypes.
  • Several DMRs were found in genetically identical regions, suggesting pure epigenetic variation.
  • Most DMRs without genetic variation were controlled by cis-acting factors and showed stable inheritance.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides evidence for naturally occurring epigenetic variation in maize.
  • Examples of pure epigenetic variation, independent of genetic differences, were identified.
  • Epigenetic variations in maize are heritable across generations and may contribute to complex trait variation.