Paternal arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal status affects DNA methylation in seeds

Abstract

Most land plants grow in association with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in their roots and these fungi can cause transgenerational effects on plants’ offspring. These may be caused by changes in DNA methylation of the offspring. In this study, we compared the amount of global DNA methylation in seeds of the gynodioecious plant Geranium sylvaticum in relation to the gender and the AMF status of the parents producing the seeds. The amount of DNA methylated was positively related to seed mass. Seeds produced by females had a similar proportion of methylated DNA regardless of the AMF status of the father siring the seed. By contrast, seeds from hermaphrodites had higher DNA methylation when sired by AMF fathers. We show to the best of our knowledge for the first time, that the AMF status of fathers can affect DNA methylation in seeds and that these changes in DNA methylation are further dependent on the gender of the mother producing the seeds.