Seeing the forest for the trees: a wide perspective on RNA-directed DNA methylation.
In this issue of Genes & Development, Wierzbicki and colleagues (pp. 1825-1836) examine the current model of RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) by determining genome-wide distributions of RNA polymerase V (Pol V) occupancy, siRNAs, and DNA methylation. Their data support the key role of base-pairing between Pol V transcripts and siRNAs in targeting de novo DNA methylation. Importantly, the study also reveals unexpected complexity and provides a global view of the RdDM pathway.
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
Huiming
H
Zhang
Jian-Kang
JK
Zhu
D017360:Arabidopsis; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D003596:Cytosine / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; D018745:Genome, Plant; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism*
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D003596:Cytosine; C499181:RNA polymerase IV, Arabidopsis; C538841:RNA polymerase V, Arabidopsis; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases