title: Characterization of DNA methyltransferase and demethylase genes in Fragaria vesca.
abstract: DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification essential for gene regulations in plants, but understanding on how it is involved in fruit development, especially in non-climacteric fleshy fruit, is limited. The diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) is an important model for non-climacteric fruit crops. In this study, we identified DNA methyltransferase genes and demethylase genes in Fragaria vesca and other angiosperm species. In accordance with previous studies, our phylogenetic analyses of those DNA methylation modifiers support the clustering of those genes into several classes. Our data indicate that whole-genome duplications and tandem duplications contributed to the expansion of those DNA methylation modifiers in angiosperms. We have further demonstrated that some DNA methylase and demethylase genes reach their highest expression levels in strawberry fleshy fruits when turning from white to red, suggesting that DNA methylation might undergo a dramatic change at the onset of fleshy fruit-ripening process. In addition, we have observed that expression of some DNA demethylase genes increases in response to various abiotic stresses including heat, cold, drought and salinity. Collectively, our study indicates a regulatory role of DNA methylation in the turning stage of non-climacteric fleshy fruit and responses to environment stimuli, and would facilitate functional studies of DNA methylation in the growth and development of non-climacteric fruits.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement and College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. gutingting@njau.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement and College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Jiangsu Engineering and Technology Center for Modern Horticulture, Jiangsu Polytechnic College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuanhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement and College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Plant Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement and College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. yi.li@uconn.edu.|Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 026269, USA. yi.li@uconn.edu.|Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. yi.li@uconn.edu.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D045647:DNA Glycosylases / Q000235:genetics*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases / Q000235:genetics*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D031985:Fragaria / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant; D010940:Plant Proteins; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases; D045647:DNA Glycosylases
keywords: Abiotic stress; DNA demethylase; DNA methyltransferase; Fragaria vesca; Fruit ripening