RNA-directed de novo methylation of genomic sequences in plants.
One monomeric and three oligomeric potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) cDNA units were introduced into the tobacco genome via the Agrobacterium-mediated leaf-disc transformation. Southern analysis of the integrates revealed that only their PSTVd-specific sequences become fully methylated, whereas the flanking T-DNA and the genomic plant DNA remain unaltered. Viroid cDNA methylation could only be observed after autonomous viroid RNA-RNA replication had taken place in these plants. These findings demonstrate that a mechanism of de novo methylation of genes might exist that can be induced and targeted in a sequence-specific manner by their own mRNA.
Wassenegger
M
M
Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, Abteilung Viroidforschung, Martinsried, Federal Republic of Germany.
Heimes
S
S
Riedel
L
L
Sänger
H L
HL
D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D008745:Methylation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012231:Rhizobium / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014772:Viroids / Q000502:physiology; D014779:Virus Replication
D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral; D004247:DNA