BACKGROUND: Methylation of cytosines is an evolutionarily conserved epigenetic mark that is essential for the control of chromatin activity in many taxa. It acts mainly repressively, causing transcriptional gene silencing. In plants, de novo DNA methylation is established mainly by RNA-directed DNA-methylation pathway. Even though the protein machinery involved is relatively well-described, the course of the initial phases remains covert. RESULTS: We show the first detailed description of de novo DNA-methylation dynamics. Since prevalent plant model systems do not provide the possibility to collect homogenously responding material in time series with short intervals, we developed a convenient system based on tobacco BY-2 cell lines with inducible production of siRNAs (from an RNA hairpin) guiding the methylation machinery to the CaMV 35S promoter controlling GFP reporter. These lines responded very synchronously, and a high level of promoter-specific siRNAs triggered rapid promoter methylation with the first increase observed already 12 h after the induction. The previous presence of CG methylation in the promoter did not affect the methylation dynamics. The individual cytosine contexts reacted differently. CHH methylation peaked at about 80% in 2 days and then declined, whereas CG and CHG methylation needed more time with CHG reaching practically 100% after 10 days. Spreading of methylation was only minimal outside the target region in accordance with the absence of transitive siRNAs. The low and stable proportion of 24-nt siRNAs suggested that Pol IV was not involved in the initial phases. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that de novo DNA methylation is a rapid process initiated practically immediately with the appearance of promoter-specific siRNAs and independently of the prior presence of methylcytosines at the target locus. The methylation was precisely targeted, and its dynamics varied depending on the cytosine sequence context. The progressively increasing methylation resulted in a smooth, gradual inhibition of the promoter activity, which was entirely suppressed in 2 days.
- MeSH
- Caulimovirus genetika MeSH
- estradiol farmakologie MeSH
- malá interferující RNA genetika metabolismus MeSH
- metylace DNA * účinky léků MeSH
- plazmidy genetika metabolismus MeSH
- promotorové oblasti (genetika) MeSH
- RNA interference MeSH
- rostlinné buňky metabolismus MeSH
- tabák cytologie MeSH
- zelené fluorescenční proteiny antagonisté a inhibitory genetika metabolismus MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Trebouxia aggregata (Archibald) Gärtner (phylum Chlorophyta, family Trebouxiaceae), a lichen symbiotic alga, has been identified as host of the well-known herbaceous plant virus Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV, family Caulimoviridae). The alga had been isolated from Xanthoria parietina more than 70 years ago and has been maintained in a collection since that time. The CaMV detected in this collection entry has now been completely sequenced. The virus from T. aggregata is mechanically transmissible to a herbaceous host and induces disease symptoms there. Its genome differs by 173 nt from the closest European CaMV-D/H isolate from cauliflower. No site under positive selection was found on the CaMV genome from T. aggregata. We therefore assume that the virus's presence in this alga was not sufficiently long to fix any specific changes in its genome. Apart from this symbiotic alga, CaMV capsid protein sequences were amplified from many other non-symbiotic algae species maintained in a collection (e.g., Oonephris obesa, Elliptochloris sp., Microthamnion kuetzingianum, Chlorella vulgaris, Pseudococcomyxa sp.). CaMV-free Chlorella vulgaris was treated with CaMV to establish virus infection. The virus was still detected there after five passages. The virus infection is morphologically symptomless on Chlorella algae and the photosynthesis activity is slightly decreased in comparison to CaMV-free alga culture. This is the first proof as to the natural presence of CaMV in algae and the first demonstration of algae being artificially infected with this virus.
- MeSH
- Caulimovirus klasifikace genetika izolace a purifikace MeSH
- Chlorophyta virologie MeSH
- DNA virů chemie izolace a purifikace MeSH
- elektronová mikroskopie MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
- sekvenční seřazení MeSH
- výročí a významné události MeSH
- zlato chemie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
The antiviral effect of the acyclic nucleoside phosphonate tenofovir (R)-PMPA on double-stranded DNA Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) in Brassica pekinensis plants grown in vitro on liquid medium was evaluated. Double antibody sandwich ELISA and PCR were used for relative quantification of viral protein and detecting nucleic acid in plants. (R)-PMPA at concentrations of 25 and 50 mg/l significantly reduced CaMV titers in plants within 6-9 weeks to levels detectable neither by ELISA nor by PCR. Virus-free plants were obtained after 3-month cultivation of meristem tips on semisolid medium containing 50 mg/l (R)-PMPA and their regeneration to whole plants in the greenhouse. Studying the metabolism of (R)-PMPA in B. pekinensis revealed that mono- and diphosphate, structural analogs of NDP and/or NTP, are the only metabolites formed. The data indicate very low substrate activity of the enzymes toward (R)-PMPA as substrate. The extent of phosphorylation in the plant's leaves represents only 4.5% of applied labeled (R)-PMPA. In roots, we detected no radioactive peaks of phosphorylated metabolites of (R)-PMPAp or (R)-PMPApp.
- MeSH
- adenin analogy a deriváty metabolismus farmakologie MeSH
- antivirové látky metabolismus farmakologie MeSH
- biotransformace MeSH
- Brassica metabolismus virologie MeSH
- Caulimovirus účinky léků růst a vývoj MeSH
- DNA virů analýza MeSH
- ELISA metody MeSH
- kyseliny fosforité metabolismus farmakologie MeSH
- polymerázová řetězová reakce metody MeSH
- virová nálož MeSH
- virové proteiny analýza MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- MeSH
- Caulimovirus genetika metabolismus MeSH
- Cytomegalovirus genetika MeSH
- finanční podpora výzkumu jako téma MeSH
- glukuronidasa genetika metabolismus MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- promotorové oblasti (genetika) imunologie MeSH
- Solanum tuberosum genetika metabolismus MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- srovnávací studie MeSH
- MeSH
- Caulimovirus genetika MeSH
- fylogeneze MeSH
- ovoce virologie MeSH
- Publikační typ
- srovnávací studie MeSH
