Heterochromatin, small RNA and post-fertilization dysgenesis in allopolyploid and interploid hybrids of Arabidopsis

Martienssen, R. A. (April 2010) Heterochromatin, small RNA and post-fertilization dysgenesis in allopolyploid and interploid hybrids of Arabidopsis. New Phytologist, 186 (1). pp. 46-53. ISSN 0028-646X

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20409176
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03193.x

Abstract

In many plants, including Arabidopsis, hybrids between species and subspecies encounter postfertilization barriers in which hybrid seed fail to develop, or else give rise to infertile progeny. In Arabidopsis, some of these barriers are sensitive to ploidy and to the epigenetic status of donor and recipient genomes. Recently, a role has been proposed for heterochromatin in reprogramming events that occur in reproductive cells, as well as in the embryo and endosperm after fertilization. 21 nt small interfering RNA (siRNA) from activated transposable elements accumulate in pollen, and are translocated from companion vegetative cells into the sperm, while in the maturing seed 24 nt siRNA are primarily maternal in origin. Thus maternal and paternal genomes likely contribute differing small RNA to the zygote and to the endosperm. As heterochromatic sequences also differ radically between, and within, species, small RNA sequences will diverge in hybrids. If transposable elements in the seed are not targeted by small RNA from the pollen, or vice versa, this could lead to hybrid seed failure, in a mechanism reminiscent of hybrid dysgenesis in Drosophila. Heterochromatin also plays a role in apomixis and nucleolar dominance, and may utilize a similar mechanism.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: allopolyploidy dosage hybrid lethality siRNA transposon ENDOSPERM BALANCE NUMBER DIRECTED DNA METHYLATION SMALL INTERFERING RNA NUCLEOLAR DOMINANCE TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS SEED DEVELOPMENT EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE MATERNAL CONTROL POLYCOMB GENE PLANTS
Subjects: organism description > plant > Arabidopsis
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA methylation
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > siRNA
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > transposons
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Martienssen lab
Depositing User: CSHL Librarian
Date: April 2010
Date Deposited: 03 Oct 2011 16:49
Last Modified: 09 Apr 2014 19:23
PMCID: PMC3756494
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/15475

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