Flowering induced by 5-azacytidine, a DNA demethylating reagent in a short-day plant, Perilla frutescens var. crispa |
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| Authors: | Hiroshi Kondo Hiroko Ozaki Kimiko Itoh Akira Kato Kiyotoshi Takeno |
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| Institution: | Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Ikarashi, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Ikarashi, Niigata 950-2181, Japan; Department of Biology, Niigata University, Ikarashi, Niigata 950-2181, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Treatment with 5-azacytidine, a DNA demethylating reagent, induced flowering in Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton var. crispa (Thunb. ex Murray) Decne. ex L. H. Bailey, an absolute short-day plant under long days. The 5-azacytidine treatment induced slight suppression of vegetative growth but had no obvious effect on any other phenotypes. The Southern hybridization analysis of the genomic DNA isolated from the leaves of 5-azacytidine-treated plants and digested with restriction enzyme, methylation-insensitive Msp I or methylation-sensitive Hpa II with P. frutescens 25S-18S rDNA intergenic spacer probe indicated that the 5-azacytidine treatment caused demethylation of the genomic DNA. The 5-azacytidine-induced flowering was delayed as compared with the short day-induced flowering. Flowers were formed even at the lower nodes which had not been directly treated with 5-azacytidine. The results suggest that DNA demethylation induced flowering by inducing the production of a transmissible flowering stimulus in P. frutescens . |
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