Transgenerational activation of an autonomous DNA transposon, Dart1-24, by 5-azaC treatment in rice

• Published in: Theoretical and applied genetics 2019-12, Vol.132 (12), p.3347-3355
• Main Authors: Nishimura, Hideki, Himi, Eiko, Eun, Chang-Ho, Takahashi, Hidekazu, Qian, Qian, Tsugane, Kazuo, Maekawa, Masahiko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Azacitidine - pharmacology; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Chromosome Mapping; Demethylation; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Transposable Elements; DNA, Plant - genetics; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genetic aspects; Genetic research; Leaves; Life Sciences; Nucleotides; Original Article; Oryza - drug effects; Oryza - genetics; Phenotype; Phenotypes; Physiological aspects; Plant Biochemistry; Plant Breeding/Biotechnology; Plant Genetics and Genomics; Rice; Seeds; Seeds - genetics; Structure; Transposons; Yellow leaf
• ISSN: 0040-5752; 1432-2242
• DOI: 10.1007/s00122-019-03429-7

Key message Dart1-24 , one of the 37 autonomous DNA transposon Dart1 s, was heritably activated by the demethylation of the 5′ region following 5-azaC treatment of rice seeds. Transposons are controlled by epigenetic regulations. To obtain newly activated autonomous elements of Dart1 , a DNA transposon, in rice, seeds of a stable pale yellow leaf (pyl-stb) mutant caused by the insertion of nDart1-0 , a nonautonomous element in OsClpP5, were treated with 5-azaC, a demethylating agent. In the 5-azaC-treated M1 plants, 60–70% of the plants displayed variegated pale yellow leaf (pyl-v) phenotype, depending on the concentration of 5-azaC used, suggesting that inactivated Dart1 might become highly activated by 5-azaC treatment and nDart1-0 was excised from OsClpP5 by the activated Dart1 s. Although the M2 plants derived from most of these pyl-v plants showed stable pyl phenotypes, some variegated M1 plants generated pyl-v M2 progeny. These results indicated that most M1 pyl-v phenotypes at M1 were not heritable. Dart1-24 , 1-27 and 1-28 were expressed in the M2 pyl-v plants, and mapping analysis confirmed that Dart1-24 was newly activated. Further, the transgenerational activation of Dart1-24 was demonstrated to be caused by the demethylation of nucleotides in its 5′ region.