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Epigenetics

RNAi protects across the generations

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 10, pages 220–221 (2009)Cite this article

The first paper establishes a role for RNAi in progressively restoring DNA methylation patterns in the generations that follow their disruption. The DDM1 gene encodes a chromatin remodelling protein that is crucial for normal DNA methylation patterns in Arabidopsis thaliana. Teixeira and colleagues looked at the effect of loss of DDM1 function on 56 methylated TEs and other repeats after segregation of the ddm1 mutation. They found that although some of these repeats remained hypomethylated, others became fully remethylated after a few generations, suggesting a robust and targeted remethylation process that may be important in preventing potentially harmful TE reactivation.

Why are only some repeats remethylated? The authors showed that the difference lies specifically in the inability of non-remethylatable repeats to retain DNA methylation at CHH sites (one of three classes of plant DNA methylation targets) in the absence of DDM1. This difference turns out to be RNAi dependent: deep sequencing of small RNAs showed that both wild-type and ddm1 plants accumulate small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that correspond to the remethylatable repeats, but this is not the case for the non-remethylatable class. Furthermore, robust and targeted remethylation does not occur when RNAi is compromised.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPERS

  1. Teixeira, F. K. et al. A role for RNAi in the selective correction of DNA methylation defects. Science 29 Jan 2009 (doi:10.1126/science.1165313)

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  2. Slotkin, R. K. et al. Epigenetic reprogramming and small RNA silencing of transposable elements in pollen. Cell 136, 461–472 (2009)

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Authors
  1. Louisa Flintoft
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Flintoft, L. RNAi protects across the generations. Nat Rev Genet 10, 220–221 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg2565

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg2565

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