Open AccessH3 Lysine 9 Methylation Is Maintained on a Transcribed Inverted Repeat by Combined Action of SUVH6 and SUVH4 Methyltransferases
Author(s) -
Michelle L. Ebbs,
Lisa Bartee,
Judith Bender
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
molecular and cellular biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.14
H-Index - 327
eISSN - 1067-8824
pISSN - 0270-7306
DOI - 10.1128/mcb.25.23.10507-10515.2005
Subject(s) - biology , rna directed dna methylation , histone methylation , histone methyltransferase , methyltransferase , genetics , methylation , dna methylation , histone h3 , chromatin , inverted repeat , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , gene expression , genome
Transcribed inverted repeats are potent triggers for RNA interference and RNA-directed DNA methylation in plants through the production of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). For example, a transcribed inverted repeat of endogenous genes inArabidopsis thaliana ,PAI1-PAI4 , guides methylation of itself as well as two unlinked duplicatedPAI genes,PAI2 andPAI3 . In previous work, we found that mutations in the SUVH4/KYP histone H3 lysine 9 (H3 K9) methyltransferase cause a loss of DNA methylation onPAI2 andPAI3 , but not on the inverted repeat. Here we use chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis to show that the transcribed inverted repeat carries H3 K9 methylation, which is maintained even in ansuvh4 mutant.PAI1-PAI4 H3 K9 methylation and DNA methylation are also maintained in ansuvh6 mutant, which is defective for a gene closely related toSUVH4 . However, both epigenetic modifications are reduced at this locus in ansuvh4 suvh6 double mutant. In contrast, SUVH6 does not play a significant role in maintenance of H3 K9 or DNA methylation onPAI2 , transposon sequences, or centromere repeat sequences. Thus, SUVH6 is preferentially active at a dsRNA source locus versus targets for RNA-directed chromatin modifications.