Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 17, 2026
10:28
Author Spotlight: RNAi Inheritance and ChIP in C. elegans
Published on: May 5, 2023
4.7K
Transposable elements are vectors of recurrent transgenerational epigenetic inheritance.
Pierre Baduel1, Louna De Oliveira1, Erwann Caillieux1
1Institut de Biologie de l'École Normale Supérieure, Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), UMR 8197 CNRS, U1024 INSERM, Paris, France.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 18, 2025
Summary
Plant transposable elements (TEs) can lose DNA methylation, impacting genes and being epigenetically inherited. Small RNAs constrain this epigenetic inheritance, influencing gene expression and heritable variation.
Area of Science:
- Plant epigenetics
- Transposable element (TE) regulation
- Epigenetic inheritance
Background:
- DNA methylation loss at TEs in plants can affect nearby genes.
- Epigenetic inheritance of DNA methylation changes is known in plants.
- Determinants and importance of TE epigenetic inheritance are largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the determinants of transgenerational stability of DNA methylation loss at TEs.
- Determine the role of small RNAs in constraining epigenetic inheritance of hypomethylation.
- Assess the natural occurrence and impact of TE epialleles in *Arabidopsis thaliana*.
Main Methods:
- Experimentally induced hypomethylation at TE loci in *Arabidopsis thaliana*.
- Analysis of small RNA populations to identify regulatory factors.
- Genomic analysis of over 700 natural *Arabidopsis thaliana* strains.
- Testing inheritance of natural epivariants without DNA sequence changes.
Main Results:
- Small RNAs derived from related TE copies constrain the transgenerational stability of induced hypomethylation.
- Recurrent, similar hypomethylation patterns observed at hundreds of TE loci across natural strains, often near genes.
- Most natural epivariants are inherited without DNA sequence changes (bona fide epialleles).
- Genetic factors influence the recurrence and persistence of epialleles.
Conclusions:
- Small RNAs play a crucial role in regulating the epigenetic inheritance of DNA methylation at TEs.
- Naturally occurring epialleles at TEs are common in *Arabidopsis thaliana* and contribute to heritable phenotypic variation.
- Epiallelic variants can alter gene expression and be subject to selection, highlighting their evolutionary significance.
Related Concept Videos
02:13Overview of Transposition and Recombination
18.8K
Transposons make up a significant part of genomes of various organisms. Therefore, it is believed that transposition played a major evolutionary role in speciation by changing genome sizes and modifying gene expression patterns. For example, in bacteria, transposition can lead to conferring antibiotic resistance. Movement of transposable elements within the genetic pool of pathogenic bacteria can aid in transfer of antibiotic-resistant genetic elements. In eukaryotes, transposons can carry out...
18.8K
03:08LTR Retrotransposons
19.5K
LTR retrotransposons are class I transposable elements with long terminal repeats flanking an internal coding region. These elements are less abundant in mammals compared to other class I transposable elements. About 8 percent of human genomic DNA comprises LTR retrotransposons. Some of the common examples of LTR retrotransposons are Ty elements in yeast and Copia elements in Drosophila.
The internal coding region of LTR retrotransposons and their mechanism of transposition closely resembles a...
The internal coding region of LTR retrotransposons and their mechanism of transposition closely resembles a...
19.5K
01:24Transposons
1.4K
Transposons, or "jumping genes," are small mobile genetic elements (MGEs) that range from 700 to 40,000 base pairs in length. They are found in all organisms and can move within the same chromosome or transfer to different chromosomes. In some cases, transposons can also jump between different host DNA molecules, such as plasmids or viruses, contributing to genetic variability.Barbara McClintock first discovered these mobile genetic elements in the 1940s while studying maize genetics, and she...
1.4K
02:57DNA-only Transposons
17.2K
DNA-only transposons are called autonomous transposons since they code for the enzyme transposase that is required for the transposition mechanism. Insertion of transposons can alter gene functions in multiple ways. They can mutate the gene, alter gene expression by introducing a novel promoter or insulator sequence, introduce new splice sites, and change the mRNA transcripts produced, or remodel chromatin structure.
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...
The donor site from where the transposon is excised is either degraded or...
17.2K
03:18Non-LTR Retrotransposons
13.2K
As the name suggests, non-LTR retrotransposons lack the long terminal repeats characteristic of the LTR retrotransposons. Additionally, both LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons use distinct mechanisms of mobilization. Non-LTR retrotransposons are further divided into two classes - Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) and short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), both of which occur abundantly in most mammals, including humans. Some of the active non-LTR retrotransposons in humans are L1...
13.2K
02:33Retroviruses
14.6K
Retroviruses and retrotransposons both insert copies of their genetic elements into the genome of the host cell. Thus, the viral genes are passed on when the host genome is replicated or translated. A typical retroviral DNA sequence contains 3-4 genes that encode the different proteins required for its structural assembly and function as a molecular parasite. This DNA is transcribed into a single mRNA, which is very similar in structure to conventional mRNAs, i.e., it is capped at the 5’...
14.6K