Male fertility in Arabidopsis requires active DNA demethylation of genes that control pollen tube function.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33462227.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-20606-1 and PMC identifier 7813888.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Active DNA demethylation is required for sexual reproduction in plants but the molecular determinants underlying this epigenetic control are not known. Here, we show in Arabidopsis thaliana that the DNA glycosylases DEMETER (DME) and REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1) act semi-redundantly in the vegetative cell of pollen to demethylate DNA and ensure proper pollen tube progression. Moreover, we identify six pollen-specific genes with increased DNA methylation as well as reduced expression in dme and dme;ros1. We further show that for four of these genes, reinstalling their expression individually in mutant pollen is sufficient to improve male fertility. Our findings demonstrate an essential role of active DNA demethylation in regulating genes involved in pollen function.
Medical subject headings
- Arabidopsis
- Arabidopsis Proteins
- DNA Demethylation
- Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
- N-Glycosyl Hydrolases
- Nuclear Proteins
- Trans-Activators