Epigenetic aspects of floral homeotic genes in relation to sexual dimorphism in the dioecious plant Mercurialis annua
© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.
| Veröffentlicht in: | Journal of experimental botany. - 1985. - 70(2019), 21 vom: 18. Nov., Seite 6245-6259 |
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| Weitere Verfasser: | , , , |
| Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2019
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| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | Journal of experimental botany |
| Schlagworte: | Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Mercurialis annua Chromatin DNA methylation cytokinin dioecy epigenetics feminization floral homeotic gene mehr... |
| Zusammenfassung: | © The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. In plants, dioecy characterizes species that carry male and female flowers on separate plants and it occurs in about 6% of angiosperms; however, the molecular mechanisms that underlie dioecy are essentially unknown. The ability for sex-reversal by hormone application raises the hypothesis that the genes required for the expression of both sexes are potentially functional but are regulated by epigenetic means. In this study, proteomic analysis of nuclear proteins isolated from flower buds of females, males, and feminized males of the dioecious plant Mercurialis annua revealed differential expression of nuclear proteins that are implicated in chromatin structure and function, including floral homeotic proteins. Focusing on floral genes, we found that class B genes were mainly expressed in male flowers, while class D genes, as well as SUPERMAN-like genes, were mainly expressed in female flowers. Cytokinin-induced feminization of male plants was associated with down-regulation of male-specific genes concomitantly with up-regulation of female-specific genes. No correlation was found between the expression of class B and D genes and the changes in DNA methylation or chromatin conformation of these genes. Thus, we could not confirm DNA methylation or chromatin conformation of floral genes to be the major determinant regulating sexual dimorphisms. Instead, determination of sex in M. annua might be controlled upstream of floral genes by one or more sex-specific factors that affect hormonal homeostasis. A comprehensive model is proposed for sex-determination in M. annua |
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| Beschreibung: | Date Completed 10.08.2020 Date Revised 19.10.2023 published: Print Citation Status MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1460-2431 |
| DOI: | 10.1093/jxb/erz379 |