Requirement of CHROMOMETHYLASE3 for somatic inheritance of the spontaneous tomato epimutation Colourless non-ripening

• DOI: 10.1038/srep09192
• Publication Date: 2015-03-17T10:29:09Z
• Authors: Weiwei Chen; Junhua Kong; Cheng Qin; Sheng Yu; Jinjuan Tan; Yun-ru Chen; Chaoqun Wu; Hui Wang; Yan Shi; Chunyang Li; Bin Li; Pengcheng Zhang; Ying Wang; Tongfei Lai; Zhiming Yu; Xian Zhang; Nongnong Shi; Huizhong Wang; Toba Osman; Yule Liu; Kenneth Manning; Stephen Jackson; Dominique Rolin; Silin Zhong; Graham B. Seymour; Philippe Gallusci; Yiguo Hong
• Keywords: Bisulfite sequencing

Abstract Naturally-occurring epimutants are rare and have mainly been described in plants. However how these mutants maintain their epigenetic marks they inherited remain unknown. Here we report that CHROMOMETHYLASE3 ( SlCMT3 ) other methyltransferases required for maintenance of a spontaneous epimutation its cognate Colourless non-ripening Cnr phenotype tomato. We screened series DNA methylation-related genes could rescue the hypermethylated mutant. Silencing developmentally-regulated gene results increased expression LeSPL-CNR , encodes SBP-box transcription factor residing at locus triggers fruits to ripen normally. Expression key ripening-genes was also up-regulated. Targeted whole-genome bisulfite sequencing showed induced ripening is associated with reduction methylation CHG sites 286-bp region promoter decrease differentially-methylated regions LeMADS-RIN binding sites. Our indicate there likely concerted effect different plant-specific essential sustaining epi-allele. Maintenance dynamics critical somatic stability inheritance tomato phenotype.