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Differential Epigenetic Marks Are Associated with Apospory Expressivity in Diploid Hybrids of <i>Paspalum rufum</i>
oleh: Mariano Soliman, Maricel Podio, Gianpiero Marconi, Marco Di Marsico, Juan Pablo A. Ortiz, Emidio Albertini, Luciana Delgado
| Format: | Article |
|---|---|
| Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2021-04-01 |
Deskripsi
Apomixis seems to emerge from the deregulation of preexisting genes involved in sexuality by genetic and/or epigenetic mechanisms. The trait is associated with polyploidy, but diploid individuals of <i>Paspalum rufum</i> can form aposporous embryo sacs and develop clonal seeds. Moreover, diploid hybrid families presented a wide apospory expressivity variation. To locate methylation changes associated with apomixis expressivity, we compare relative DNA methylation levels, at CG, CHG, and CHH contexts, between full-sib <i>P. rufum</i> diploid genotypes presenting differential apospory expressivity. The survey was performed using a methylation content-sensitive enzyme ddRAD (MCSeEd) strategy on samples at premeiosis/meiosis and postmeiosis stages. Based on the relative methylation level, principal component analysis and heatmaps, clearly discriminate samples with contrasting apospory expressivity. Differential methylated contigs (DMCs) showed 14% of homology to known transcripts of <i>Paspalum notatum</i> reproductive transcriptome, and almost half of them were also differentially expressed between apomictic and sexual samples. DMCs showed homologies to genes involved in flower growth, development, and apomixis. Moreover, a high proportion of DMCs aligned on genomic regions associated with apomixis in <i>Setaria italica</i>. Several stage-specific differential methylated sequences were identified as associated with apospory expressivity, which could guide future functional gene characterization in relation to apomixis success at diploid and tetraploid levels.