Control of DEMETER DNA demethylase gene transcription in male and female gamete companion cells in Arabidopsis thaliana

48Citations
Citations of this article
82Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

The DEMETER (DME) DNA glycosylase initiates active DNA demethylation via the base-excision repair pathway and is vital for reproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana. DME-mediated DNA demethylation is preferentially targeted to small, AT-rich, and nucleosome-depleted euchromatic transposable elements, influencing expression of adjacent genes and leading to imprinting in the endosperm. In the female gametophyte, DME expression and subsequent genome-wide DNA demethylation are confined to the companion cell of the egg, the central cell. Here, we show that, in the male gametophyte, DME expression is limited to the companion cell of sperm, the vegetative cell, and to a narrow window of time: immediately after separation of the companion cell lineage from the germline. We define transcriptional regulatory elements of DME using reporter genes, showing that a small region, which surprisingly lies within the DME gene, controls its expression in male and female companion cells. DME expression from this minimal promoter is sufficient to rescue seed abortion and the aberrant DNA methylome associated with the null dme-2 mutation. Within this minimal promoter, we found short, conserved enhancer sequences necessary for the transcriptional activities of DME and combined predicted binding motifs with published transcription factor binding coordinates to produce a list of candidate upstream pathway members in the genetic circuitry controlling DNA demethylation in gamete companion cells. These data show how DNA demethylation is regulated to facilitate endosperm gene imprinting and potential transgenerational epigenetic regulation, without subjecting the germline to potentially deleterious transposable element demethylation.

References Powered by Scopus

Cistrome and Epicistrome Features Shape the Regulatory DNA Landscape

873Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Epigenetic Reprogramming and Small RNA Silencing of Transposable Elements in Pollen

828Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Maternal control of embryogenesis by MEDEA, a Polycomb group gene in Arabidopsis

722Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Response Mechanisms of Plants Under Saline-Alkali Stress

263Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Dynamic DNA methylation in plant growth and development

214Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Small DNA Methylation, Big Player in Plant Abiotic Stress Responses and Memory

98Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Park, J. S., Frost, J. M., Park, K., Ohr, H., Park, G. T., Kim, S., … Choi, Y. (2017). Control of DEMETER DNA demethylase gene transcription in male and female gamete companion cells in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(8), 2078–2083. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1620592114

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 35

60%

Researcher 21

36%

Professor / Associate Prof. 2

3%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Agricultural and Biological Sciences 42

68%

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Bi... 18

29%

Nursing and Health Professions 1

2%

Social Sciences 1

2%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free