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Determination of DNA Methylation of Imprinted Genes in Arabidopsis Endosperm
Published on: January 28, 2011
DNA Methylation is Involved in Sex Determination in Spinach
Keli Jia1, Jiaming Duan1, Guangqian Cheng2
1School of Medical Laboratory, Sanquan College of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.
Abstract:
DNA methylation plays a critical role in the modulation of gene expression. The role of DNA methylation in sex determination was investigated in spinach. The differentiated cytosine CpG methylation profiles of CCGG motifs were assessed with methylation sensitivity amplification polymorphism (MSAP) in spinach. Among 442 DNA fragments from four plants, 134 methylated fragments were found. Relative proportions of methylation sites were 28.8% in male plants and 31.8% in female plants. At the same time, cytosine methylation levels were higher in females than in males in CCGG motifs of genomes in the spinach. These findings suggest that methylation of CG islands is involved in sex determination and differentiation in spinach.
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