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Roles of DEMETER in regulating DNA methylation in vegetative tissues and pathogen resistance
Author(s) -
Zeng Wenjie,
Huang Huan,
Lin Xueqiang,
Zhu Chen,
Kosami Kenichi,
Huang Chaofeng,
Zhang Huiming,
Duan ChengGuo,
Zhu JianKang,
Miki Daisuke
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of integrative plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.734
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1744-7909
pISSN - 1672-9072
DOI - 10.1111/jipb.13037
Subject(s) - demethylase , biology , dna methylation , dna demethylation , mutant , arabidopsis , epigenetics , genetics , gene , dna , methylation , arabidopsis thaliana , transcriptome , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark important for genome stability and gene expression. In Arabidopsis thaliana , the 5‐methylcytosine DNA glycosylase/demethylase DEMETER (DME) controls active DNA demethylation during the reproductive stage; however, the lethality of loss‐of‐function dme mutations has made it difficult to assess DME function in vegetative tissues. Here, we edited DME using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) /CRISPR‐associated protein 9 and created three weak dme mutants that produced a few viable seeds. We also performed central cell‐specific complementation in a strong dme mutant and combined this line with mutations in the other three Arabidopsis demethylase genes to generate the dme ros1 dml2 dml3 ( drdd ) quadruple mutant. A DNA methylome analysis showed that DME is required for DNA demethylation at hundreds of genomic regions in vegetative tissues. A transcriptome analysis of the drdd mutant revealed that DME and the other three demethylases are important for plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses in vegetative tissues. Despite the limited role of DME in regulating DNA methylation in vegetative tissues, the dme mutants showed increased susceptibility to bacterial and fungal pathogens. Our study highlights the important functions of DME in vegetative tissues and provides valuable genetic tools for future investigations of DNA demethylation in plants.