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Aberrant imprinting may underlie evolution of parthenogenesis
Olga Kirioukhova1,2, Jubin N Shah1, Danaé S Larsen1
1University of Heidelberg, Centre for Organismal Studies, Laboratory of Germline Genetics & Evo-Devo, Heidelberg, Germany.
Scientific Reports
|July 15, 2018
Summary
Genomic imprinting, crucial for sexual reproduction, appears relaxed in Boechera apomicts. This epigenetic shift involves DNA methylation changes and altered gene expression in plants that evolved from sexual ancestors.
Area of Science:
- Plant genetics
- Epigenetics
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Genomic imprinting regulates parent-specific gene expression, essential for sexual reproduction.
- It acts as an epigenetic barrier to asexual reproduction (parthenogenesis) in sexual organisms.
- The genus Boechera exhibits multiple independent evolutionary transitions from sexual to asexual reproduction (apomixis).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate genomic imprinting patterns in Boechera, a genus with recurrent evolution of apomixis.
- To understand the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the relaxation of imprinting during the evolution of asexual reproduction.
- To examine the expression and methylation status of imprinted genes in sexual versus asexual Boechera species.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of gene expression in sexual and apomictic Boechera lineages.
- Investigation of DNA methylation patterns at specific imprinted loci.
- Focus on a MADS-box gene homolog, comparing its imprinting status with that in Arabidopsis.
Main Results:
- Aberrant genomic imprinting was observed in Boechera apomicts.
- Maternal activation of a MADS-box gene was detected in apomicts, contrasting with paternal expression in sexual relatives like Arabidopsis.
- Locus-specific DNA methylation changes were associated with relaxed parental imprinting in apomictic Boechera.
Conclusions:
- Genomic imprinting may be relaxed during the evolution of apomixis in Boechera.
- Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, play a role in altering imprinting patterns during the transition to asexual reproduction.
- These findings provide insights into the epigenetic basis of reproductive mode evolution in plants.
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