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Updated: Mar 18, 2026

Determination of DNA Methylation of Imprinted Genes in Arabidopsis Endosperm
Published on: January 28, 2011
Methylation interactions in Arabidopsis hybrids require RNA-directed DNA methylation and are influenced by genetic
Qingzhu Zhang1, Dong Wang2, Zhaobo Lang1
1Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China; Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
Abstract:
DNA methylation is a conserved epigenetic mark in plants and many animals. How parental alleles interact in progeny to influence the epigenome is poorly understood. We analyzed the DNA methylomes of Arabidopsis Col and C24 ecotypes, and their hybrid progeny. Hybrids displayed nonadditive DNA methylation levels, termed methylation interactions, throughout the genome. Approximately 2,500 methylation interactions occurred at regions where parental DNA methylation levels are similar, whereas almost 1,000 were at differentially methylated regions in parents. Methylation interactions were characterized by an abundance of 24-nt small interfering RNAs. Furthermore, dysfunction of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway abolished methylation interactions but did not affect the increased biomass observed in hybrid progeny. Methylation interactions correlated with altered genetic variation within the genome, suggesting that they may play a role in genome evolution.
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