Epigenetic reprogramming and small RNA silencing of transposable elements in pollen

Slotkin, R. K., Vaughn, M., Borges, F., Tanurdzic, M., Becker, J. D., Feijo, J. A., Martienssen, R. A. (February 2009) Epigenetic reprogramming and small RNA silencing of transposable elements in pollen. Cell, 136 (3). pp. 461-72. ISSN 1097-4172 (Electronic)0092-8674 (Linking)

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19203581
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2008.12.038

Abstract

The mutagenic activity of transposable elements (TEs) is suppressed by epigenetic silencing and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), especially in gametes that could transmit transposed elements to the next generation. In pollen from the model plant Arabidopsis, we show that TEs are unexpectedly reactivated and transpose, but only in the pollen vegetative nucleus, which accompanies the sperm cells but does not provide DNA to the fertilized zygote. TE expression coincides with downregulation of the heterochromatin remodeler decrease in DNA methylation 1 and of many TE siRNAs. However, 21 nucleotide siRNAs from Athila retrotransposons are generated and accumulate in pollen and sperm, suggesting that siRNA from TEs activated in the vegetative nucleus can target silencing in gametes. We propose a conserved role for reprogramming in germline companion cells, such as nurse cells in insects and vegetative nuclei in plants, to reveal intact TEs in the genome and regulate their activity in gametes.

Item Type: Paper
Uncontrolled Keywords: Arabidopsisgenetics metabolism DNA Methylation DNA Transposable Elements Epigenesis Genetic Gene Expression Profiling Gene Expression Regulation Plant Pollen genetics metabolism RNA Interference
Subjects: bioinformatics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA expression
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > epigenetics
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > epigenetics
organism description > plant
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > sRNA
bioinformatics > genomics and proteomics > genetics & nucleic acid processing > DNA, RNA structure, function, modification > DNA expression > transposable elements
CSHL Authors:
Communities: CSHL labs > Martienssen lab
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > Bioinformatics Service
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > DNA Sequencing Service
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > Microarray Service
CSHL Cancer Center Shared Resources > Microscopy Service
Depositing User: Matt Covey
Date: 6 February 2009
Date Deposited: 21 Feb 2013 16:20
Last Modified: 30 Dec 2014 16:42
PMCID: PMC2661848
Related URLs:
URI: https://repository.cshl.edu/id/eprint/27371

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