Evolution of DNA Methylation Patterns in the Brassicaceae is Driven by Differences in Genome Organization

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004785
• Publication Date: 2014-11-13T19:14:45Z
• Authors: Danelle K. Seymour; Daniel Koenig; Jörg Hagmann; Claude Becker; Detlef Weigel
• Keywords: RNA-Directed DNA Methylation

DNA methylation is an ancient molecular modification found in most eukaryotes. In plants, not only critical for transcriptionally silencing transposons, but can also affect phenotype by altering expression of protein coding genes. The extent its contribution to phenotypic diversity over evolutionary time is, however, unclear, because limited stability epialleles that are linked mutations. To dissect the relative transposon surveillance and host gene regulation, we leveraged information from three species Brassicaceae vary genome architecture, Capsella rubella, Arabidopsis lyrata, thaliana. We lineage-specific expansion contraction repeat sequences main driver interspecific differences methylation. heavily methylated portions thus conserved at sequence level. Outside repeat-associated methylation, there a surprising degree conservation single nucleotides located bodies. Finally, dynamic affected more tissue type than environmental all species, these responses conserved. majority variation between resides hypervariable genomic regions, thus, context macroevolution, consequence.