Viroid-induced DNA methylation in plants
In eukaryotes, DNA methylation refers to the addition of a methyl group to the fifth atom in the six-atom ring of cytosine residues. At least in plants, DNA regions that become de novo methylated can be defined by homologous RNA molecules in a process termed RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). RdDM...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
De Gruyter
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Biomolecular Concepts |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/bmc-2013-0030 |
| Summary: | In eukaryotes, DNA methylation refers to the addition of a methyl group to the fifth atom in the six-atom ring of cytosine residues. At least in plants, DNA regions that become de novo methylated can be defined by homologous RNA molecules in a process termed RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM). RdDM was first discovered in viroid-infected plants. Viroids are pathogenic circular, non-coding, single-stranded RNA molecules. Members of the Pospiviroidae family replicate in the nucleus through double-stranded RNA intermediates, attracting the host RNA silencing machinery. The recruitment of this machinery results in the production of viroid-derived small RNAs (vd-sRNAs) that mediate RNA degradation and DNA methylation of cognate sequences. Here, we provide an overview of the cumulative data on the field of viroid-induced RdDM and discuss three possible scenarios concerning the mechanistic details of its establishment. |
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| ISSN: | 1868-5021 1868-503X |