title: Mechanisms underlying epigenetic regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: In plants, epigenetic regulation mediates both the proper development of the plant and responses to environmental cues. Changes in epigenetic states employ DNA methylation, histone modification, and regulatory RNAs. In Arabidopsis thaliana, DNA methylation as a repressive mark is often associated with constitutively silenced loci, such as repetitive sequences, transposons, and heterochromatin. These sequences regularly give rise to small interfering RNAs, which direct DNA methylation through the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. For example, FWA locus is silenced in sporophytes and enriched with DNA methylation. Its methylated state is stable and passes to the next generation. This is an example of meiotically inherited epigenetic states. There are also epigenetic changes that can be inherited mitotically and are subsequently erased in the next generation. In this review, we use the vernalization-mediated epigenetic silencing of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) as an example for this type of mitotically stable epigenetic state. Here, we discuss mechanisms of epigenetic changes that can result in meiotically or mitotically stable states with an emphasis on FWA and FLC as two examples.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Ashley L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biosciences and Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA sbsung@austin.utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Sibum
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sung
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000502:physiology*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020868:Gene Silencing; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D040582:Inheritance Patterns / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008938:Mitosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C418902:At5g10140 protein, Arabidopsis; C416366:FWA protein, Arabidopsis; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D014157:Transcription Factors