Initiation, Establishment, and Maintenance of Heritable MuDR Transposon Silencing in Maize Are Mediated by Distinct Factors
2006
How Plants Keep Jumping Genes in Check
publication
Evidence: moderate
Author Information
Author(s): Margaret Roth Woodhouse, Michael Freeling, Damon Lisch
Hypothesis
What factors are involved in the initiation, establishment, and maintenance of heritable transposon silencing in maize?
Conclusion
Distinct factors are required to initiate, establish, and maintain the silencing of the MuDR transposon in maize.
Supporting Evidence
- Mop1 is required to maintain silencing of the MuDR transposon.
- Mu killer initiates silencing of MuDR by targeting mudrA.
- NAP1 is necessary for establishing heritable silencing of MuDR.
Takeaway
Plants have special tools to keep jumping genes from causing trouble, and this study shows how they do it.
Methodology
The researchers bred plants with and without functional copies of the Mop1 gene to observe the effects on MuDR silencing.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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