DNA methylation inheritance in Arabidopsis: The next generation

Renee Wardenaar

DNA methylation inheritance in Arabidopsis: The next generation

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Ons DNA, de drager van onze erfelijkheid, bestaat uit een code die is samengesteld uit vier letters; A, C, G en T. De genetica leert ons dat er mutaties in het DNA kunnen ontstaan (letter A verandert bijvoorbeeld in letter G) die het functioneren van genen beïnvloeden. Onderzoek aan planten maakt duidelijk dat het functioneren van genen ook beïnvloed kan worden door zogenoemde epigenetische veranderingen. Een bekend voorbeeld hiervan is de verandering van cytosine in 5-methylcytosine (de letter C), en vice versa. Men spreekt in dit geval van DNA-methylering. Een fundamentele doelstelling in de plantbiologie is het vaststellen van de stabiliteit van epigenetische veranderingen over verschillende generaties en de mate waarin deze bijdragen aan de variatie in eigenschappen (bijv. de hoogte).

In dit proefschrift laten we resultaten zien van onderzoek aan een experimentele plantenpopulatie van de modelplant Arabidopsis thaliana (zandraket). Het unieke kenmerk van deze populatie is dat de planten bijna identieke DNA-sequenties hebben, maar sterke verschillen in DNA-methylatie patronen. We laten zien dat deze patronen doorgegeven worden aan de opeenvolgende generaties en effect hebben op vele belangrijke planteneigenschappen zoals bloeitijd en wortellengte. We laten ook zien dat methyleringsverschillen spontaan kunnen ontstaan in natuurlijke populaties en dat de snelheid hiervan vele malen groter is dan die van DNA-mutaties.

Het feit dat veranderingen in DNA-methylatie worden overgeërfd en bijdragen aan variatie in planteneigenschappen laat zien dat erfelijke informatie verder reikt dan de vier letters waaruit ons DNA is samengesteld en levert nieuwe vraagstukken op aangaande de rol hiervan in plantenevolutie en de toepassing in agrarische teeltprogramma’s.

Originele taal-2	English
Kwalificatie	Doctor of Philosophy
Toekennende instantie	Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Begeleider(s)/adviseur	Jansen, Ritsert, Supervisor Johannes, Frank, Co-supervisor
Datum van toekenning	28-nov.-2016
Plaats van publicatie	[Groningen]
Uitgever	Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Gedrukte ISBN's	978-90-367-9414-5
Elektronische ISBN's	978-90-367-9413-8
Status	Published - 2016

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title = "DNA methylation inheritance in Arabidopsis: The next generation",

abstract = "Our DNA, the molecule that stores heritable information, consists of a four letter code; A, C, G and T. Text book genetics tell us that DNA can be mutated (e.g. letter A turns into letter G), and that such mutations can change the functions of genes. In plants, it is becoming increasingly clear that heritable alterations in gene function can also be acquired through so-called epigenetic changes. A well-known example of an epigenetic change is the gain or loss of DNA methylation, the chemical modification of a cytosine (the letter C in the DNA code) into 5-methylcytosine. A fundamental goal in plant biology is to assess how stable epigenetic changes are across generations and to which extent they affect observable traits (e.g. plant height).In this thesis we performed extensive bioinformatic and statistical analyses of an experimental population of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The unique feature of this population is that all plants are nearly identical at the DNA level but show strong differences in DNA methylation patterns. We show that these patterns can be inherited for many generations, and affect important plants traits such as flowering time and root length. We also show that DNA methylation changes occur stochastically in natural populations, and at a rate far exceeding the known DNA mutation rate in this species.The fact that DNA methylation changes affect observable plant traits that are transmitted across generations shows that heritable information extends beyond the four letters encoded in our DNA and opens up new questions regarding its role in plant evolution and its use in agricultural breeding programs.",

author = "Renee Wardenaar",

year = "2016",

language = "English",

isbn = "978-90-367-9414-5",

publisher = "Rijksuniversiteit Groningen",

school = "University of Groningen",

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TY - BOOK

T1 - DNA methylation inheritance in Arabidopsis: The next generation

AU - Wardenaar, Renee

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Our DNA, the molecule that stores heritable information, consists of a four letter code; A, C, G and T. Text book genetics tell us that DNA can be mutated (e.g. letter A turns into letter G), and that such mutations can change the functions of genes. In plants, it is becoming increasingly clear that heritable alterations in gene function can also be acquired through so-called epigenetic changes. A well-known example of an epigenetic change is the gain or loss of DNA methylation, the chemical modification of a cytosine (the letter C in the DNA code) into 5-methylcytosine. A fundamental goal in plant biology is to assess how stable epigenetic changes are across generations and to which extent they affect observable traits (e.g. plant height).In this thesis we performed extensive bioinformatic and statistical analyses of an experimental population of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The unique feature of this population is that all plants are nearly identical at the DNA level but show strong differences in DNA methylation patterns. We show that these patterns can be inherited for many generations, and affect important plants traits such as flowering time and root length. We also show that DNA methylation changes occur stochastically in natural populations, and at a rate far exceeding the known DNA mutation rate in this species.The fact that DNA methylation changes affect observable plant traits that are transmitted across generations shows that heritable information extends beyond the four letters encoded in our DNA and opens up new questions regarding its role in plant evolution and its use in agricultural breeding programs.

AB - Our DNA, the molecule that stores heritable information, consists of a four letter code; A, C, G and T. Text book genetics tell us that DNA can be mutated (e.g. letter A turns into letter G), and that such mutations can change the functions of genes. In plants, it is becoming increasingly clear that heritable alterations in gene function can also be acquired through so-called epigenetic changes. A well-known example of an epigenetic change is the gain or loss of DNA methylation, the chemical modification of a cytosine (the letter C in the DNA code) into 5-methylcytosine. A fundamental goal in plant biology is to assess how stable epigenetic changes are across generations and to which extent they affect observable traits (e.g. plant height).In this thesis we performed extensive bioinformatic and statistical analyses of an experimental population of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The unique feature of this population is that all plants are nearly identical at the DNA level but show strong differences in DNA methylation patterns. We show that these patterns can be inherited for many generations, and affect important plants traits such as flowering time and root length. We also show that DNA methylation changes occur stochastically in natural populations, and at a rate far exceeding the known DNA mutation rate in this species.The fact that DNA methylation changes affect observable plant traits that are transmitted across generations shows that heritable information extends beyond the four letters encoded in our DNA and opens up new questions regarding its role in plant evolution and its use in agricultural breeding programs.

M3 - Thesis fully internal (DIV)

SN - 978-90-367-9414-5

PB - Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

CY - [Groningen]

ER -

DNA methylation inheritance in Arabidopsis: The next generation

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