title: Dicer-independent RNA-directed DNA methylation in Arabidopsis.
abstract: RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is an important de novo DNA methylation pathway in plants. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) generated by Dicers from RNA polymerase IV (Pol IV) transcripts are thought to guide sequence-specific DNA methylation. To gain insight into the mechanism of RdDM, we performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing of a collection of Arabidopsis mutants, including plants deficient in Pol IV (nrpd1) or Dicer (dcl1/2/3/4) activity. Unexpectedly, of the RdDM target loci that required Pol IV and/or Pol V, only 16% were fully dependent on Dicer activity. DNA methylation was partly or completely independent of Dicer activity at the remaining Pol IV- and/or Pol V-dependent loci, despite the loss of 24-nt siRNAs. Instead, DNA methylation levels correlated with the accumulation of Pol IV-dependent 25-50 nt RNAs at most loci in Dicer mutant plants. Our results suggest that RdDM in plants is largely guided by a previously unappreciated class of Dicer-independent non-coding RNAs, and that siRNAs are required to maintain DNA methylation at only a subset of loci.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.|Current address: National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China.
authors.forename: Dong-Lei
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Guiping
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Jingwen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Heng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200032, China.|Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA.
authors.forename: Jian-Kang
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017353:Gene Deletion; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D043244:Ribonuclease III / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D018744:DNA, Plant; D018749:RNA, Plant; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; C499181:RNA polymerase IV, Arabidopsis; D012321:DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases; C504982:DCL4 protein, Arabidopsis; C402383:DCL1 protein, Arabidopsis; C511919:DCL2 protein, Arabidopsis; C519654:DCL3 protein, Arabidopsis; D043244:Ribonuclease III