article published yes James Walker author Hongbo Gao author Jingyi Zhang author Billy Aldridge author Martin Vickers author James D. Higgins author Xiaoqi Feng author e0164712-22ee-11ed-b12a-d80fcdf359580000-0002-4008-1234 XiFe department DNA methylation regulates eukaryotic gene expression and is extensively reprogrammed during animal development. However, whether developmental methylation reprogramming during the sporophytic life cycle of flowering plants regulates genes is presently unknown. Here we report a distinctive gene-targeted RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) activity in the Arabidopsis thaliana male sexual lineage that regulates gene expression in meiocytes. Loss of sexual-lineage-specific RdDM causes mis-splicing of the MPS1 gene (also known as PRD2), thereby disrupting meiosis. Our results establish a regulatory paradigm in which de novo methylation creates a cell-lineage-specific epigenetic signature that controls gene expression and contributes to cellular function in flowering plants. Nature Research2017 eng Genetics 1061-4036 1546-1718 2925525710.1038/s41588-017-0008-5 501130-137 yes Walker, James, et al. “Sexual-Lineage-Specific DNA Methylation Regulates Meiosis in Arabidopsis.” <i>Nature Genetics</i>, vol. 50, no. 1, Nature Research, 2017, pp. 130–37, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5">10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5</a>. J. Walker, H. Gao, J. Zhang, B. Aldridge, M. Vickers, J.D. Higgins, X. Feng, Nature Genetics 50 (2017) 130–137. Walker J, Gao H, Zhang J, Aldridge B, Vickers M, Higgins JD, Feng X. 2017. Sexual-lineage-specific DNA methylation regulates meiosis in Arabidopsis. Nature Genetics. 50(1), 130–137. Walker, J., Gao, H., Zhang, J., Aldridge, B., Vickers, M., Higgins, J. D., &#38; Feng, X. (2017). Sexual-lineage-specific DNA methylation regulates meiosis in Arabidopsis. <i>Nature Genetics</i>. Nature Research. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5</a> Walker, James, Hongbo Gao, Jingyi Zhang, Billy Aldridge, Martin Vickers, James D. Higgins, and Xiaoqi Feng. “Sexual-Lineage-Specific DNA Methylation Regulates Meiosis in Arabidopsis.” <i>Nature Genetics</i>. Nature Research, 2017. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5</a>. Walker J, Gao H, Zhang J, et al. Sexual-lineage-specific DNA methylation regulates meiosis in Arabidopsis. <i>Nature Genetics</i>. 2017;50(1):130-137. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5">10.1038/s41588-017-0008-5</a> J. Walker <i>et al.</i>, “Sexual-lineage-specific DNA methylation regulates meiosis in Arabidopsis,” <i>Nature Genetics</i>, vol. 50, no. 1. Nature Research, pp. 130–137, 2017. 121932023-01-16T09:18:05Z2026-03-19T10:51:18Z