Authors:

Alison Garl

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About Paper:

MuDR is a highly mutagenic transposable element (TE) in maize. Mu Killer (MuK) is a locus that can heritably silence MuDR elements. MuK is one of two loci in maize or any other organism that can do this, making it a model for epigenetic silencing. The effects of mutants and the stability of silencing of MuDR will be examined after exposure to MuK by genotyping families of plants segregating for MuDR and selected mutants known to affect silencing. One such mutant, mop1 plays an important role in the methylation of silenced MuDR elements. Another mutant dcl4 is important for generating small RNAs possibly responsible for MuDR silencing initiation. Because the experimental families segregate for mutants and wild type plants with and without MuDR and MuK, they provide built in controls. The experiments involve examining both initiation of silencing, where MuDR is exposed to MuK in mutant backgrounds, and maintenance of silencing, in which previously silenced MuDR elements are put in a mutant background after MuK is lost via segregation. Currently, it is known that silenced MuDR elements do not reawaken in mop1 mutants although DNA methylation associated with silencing is lost. However, MuDR reactivates with the addition of heat stress. My experiments seek to replicate these results, first by examining expression of the two genes from active MuDRs with and without heat, and then by examining the expression of silenced MuDR elements under identical conditions. Understanding silencing patterns is vital for understanding genetic variation over generations.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Alison Garl