Duplication-dependent CG suppression of the seed storage protein genes of maize.
This study investigates the prevalence of CG and CNG suppression in single- vs. multicopy DNA regions of the maize genome. The analysis includes the single- and multicopy seed storage proteins (zeins), the miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs), and long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons. Zein genes are clustered on specific chromosomal regions, whereas MITEs and LTRs are dispersed in the genome. The multicopy zein genes are CG suppressed and exhibit large variations in CG suppression. The variation observed correlates with the extent of duplication each zein gene has undergone, indicating that gene duplication results in an increased turnover of cytosine residues. Alignment of individual zein genes confirms this observation and demonstrates that CG depletion results primarily from polarized C:T and G:A transition mutations from a less to a more extensively duplicated gene. In addition, transition mutations occur primarily in a CG or CNG context suggesting that CG suppression may result from deamination of methylated cytosine residues. Duplication-dependent CG depletion is likely to occur at other loci as duplicated MITEs and LTR elements, or elements inserted into duplicated gene regions, also exhibit CG depletion.
Plant Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Plant Biology, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, DK-1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. gel@kvl.dk
Gertrud
G
Lund
Massimiliano
M
Lauria
Per
P
Guldberg
Silvio
S
Zaina
D003596:Cytosine / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D020868:Gene Silencing / Q000502:physiology*; D018626:Retroelements; D012639:Seeds / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015028:Zein / Q000378:metabolism*
D018626:Retroelements; D003596:Cytosine; D004247:DNA; D015028:Zein