Depletion of MOM1 in non-dividing cells of Arabidopsis plants releases transcriptional gene silencing.
Mitotic and meiotic inheritance of epigenetic information is coupled to the reproduction of chromatin conformation and DNA methylation patterns. This implies that the S phase of the cell cycle provides a window of opportunity for changes in epigenetic determination. Recent studies, however, have suggested that chromatin structure is also rather dynamic in quiescent cells of multicellular eukaryotes and that silent heterochromatic regions can become accessible to transcription. Such epigenetic flexibility in differentiated tissues could be of physiological importance. The mechanisms and molecular components involved are of great interest but as yet unknown. We examined MOM1 (Morpheus' Molecule 1), a regulator of transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) that acts independently of DNA methylation, for its role in the maintenance of TGS in non-dividing, differentiated cells. The results provide evidence that TGS maintenance mediated by MOM1 is a dynamic process that can be modified in non-dividing cells of mature plant organs by depletion of MOM1.
Tariq
Muhammad
M
Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland. tariq@fmi.ch
Habu
Yoshiki
Y
Paszkowski
Jerzy
J
D000074183:ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activities; D000818:Animals; D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002453:Cell Cycle; D019175:DNA Methylation; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007438:Introns; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010641:Phenotype; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016196:S Phase; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000074183:ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activities; C409208:MOM protein, Arabidopsis