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Endosperm-specific demethylation and activation of specific alleles of α-tubulin genes of Zea mays L.

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Abstract

We have investigated the methylation status of the α-tubulin genes, and the degree of accumulation of their mRNAs in endosperm, embryo and seedling tissues of Zea mays L. We have found that many of the α-tubulin genes are differentially demethylated in the endosperm relative to the embryo and seedling. However, only for tubα2 and tubα4 could a correlation between DNA demethylation and increased RNA accumulation be detected. By analyzing the inbred lines W64A and A69Y and their reciprocal crosses, we have also identified in the endosperm two α-tubulin genes, tubα3 and tubα4, that are differentially demethylated if transmitted by the maternal germline, but that remain hypermethylated when transmitted by the paternal germline.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Waksman Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, P.O. Box 759, 08855, Piscataway, NJ, USA

    Gertrud Lund & Joachim Messing

  2. Istituto Biosintesi Vegetali, CNR, Via Bassini 15, 20133, Milano, Italy

    Gertrud Lund & Angelo Viotti

Authors
  1. Gertrud Lund
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  2. Joachim Messing
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  3. Angelo Viotti
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Communicated by H. Saedler

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Lund, G., Messing, J. & Viotti, A. Endosperm-specific demethylation and activation of specific alleles of α-tubulin genes of Zea mays L.. Molec. Gen. Genet. 246, 716–722 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290717

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00290717

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