DNA methylation and imprinting in plants: machinery and mechanisms |
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Authors: | P R V Satyaki |
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Institution: | Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA |
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Abstract: | Imprinting is an epigenetic phenomenon in which genes are expressed selectively from either the maternal or paternal alleles. In plants, imprinted gene expression is found in a tissue called the endosperm. Imprinting is often set by a unique epigenomic configuration in which the maternal chromosomes are less DNA methylated than their paternal counterparts. In this review, we synthesize studies that paint a detailed molecular portrait of the distinctive endosperm methylome. We will also discuss the molecular machinery that shapes and modifies this methylome, and the role of DNA methylation in imprinting. |
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Keywords: | Gene imprinting DNA methylation plants seeds endosperm |
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