Abstract
The maize purple plant (pl) locus encodes a transcription factor required for anthocyanin pigment synthesis in vegetative and floral tissues. The strongly expressed Pl-Rhoades (Pl-Rh) allele is unstable, spontaneously changing to weaker expression states (Pl') at low frequencies and exclusively changing to Pl' in Pl'/Pl-Rh heterozygotes. The weakly expressed Pl' state is mitotically and meiotically stable, yet reversible. This type of allele-dependent, heritable alteration of gene control is called paramutation. Expression studies herein demonstrate that visible differences in anthocyanin pigment levels mirror pl RNA abundance and that pl paramutation is associated with reduced transcription of the pl gene. This transcriptional alteration is accompanied by acquisition of light-dependent regulation. Restriction endonuclease mapping indicates that these changes in pl gene regulation are not associated with detectable DNA alterations or with extensive changes in cytosine methylation patterns. Genetic tests show that Pl-Blotched (Pl-Bh), a structurally similar pl allele encoding an identical pl RNA and PL protein, does not participate in pl paramutation. This result suggests that if cis-acting sequences are required for pl paramutation they are distinct from the protein coding and immediately adjacent regions. A model is discussed in which pl paramutation results in heritable changes of chromatin structure that fundamentally alter regulatory interactions occurring during plant development.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
The strongly expressed Pl-Rhoades allele of maize pl spontaneously changes to weaker expression states at low frequencies.
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Maize pl Locus”
e1“The strongly expressed Pl-Rhoades (Pl-Rh) allele is unstable, spontaneously changing to weaker expression states (Pl') at low frequencies and exclusively changing to Pl' in Pl'/Pl-Rh heterozygotes”
Claim · model-written summary
Visible anthocyanin pigment differences in maize mirror pl RNA abundance.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Maize pl Locus”
e2“visible differences in anthocyanin pigment levels mirror pl RNA abundance”
Claim · model-written summary
Paramutation of maize pl is associated with reduced transcription of the pl gene.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Maize pl Locus”
e3“pl paramutation is associated with reduced transcription of the pl gene”
Claim · model-written summary
The transcriptional alteration of maize pl is accompanied by acquisition of light-dependent regulation.
- Outcome
- acquisition of light-dependent regulatione4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Maize pl Locus”
e4“This transcriptional alteration is accompanied by acquisition of light-dependent regulation”
Claim · model-written summary
Changes in maize pl gene regulation during paramutation are not associated with detectable DNA alterations.
- Outcome
- detectable DNA alterationse5
- Qualifier
- or with extensive changes in cytosine methylation patternse5
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Maize pl Locus”
e5“these changes in pl gene regulation are not associated with detectable DNA alterations or with extensive changes in cytosine methylation patterns”
Claim · model-written summary
The Pl-Blotched allele does not participate in maize pl paramutation.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Maize pl Locus”
e6“Pl-Blotched (Pl-Bh), a structurally similar pl allele encoding an identical pl RNA and PL protein, does not participate in pl paramutation”
Claim · model-written summary
Paramutation may cause heritable changes of chromatin structure that alter regulatory interactions during maize development.
- Treatment
- pl paramutatione7
- Outcome
- alter regulatory interactions occurring during plant developmente7
- Qualifier
- heritable changes of chromatin structuree7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t1“Maize pl Locus”
e7“A model is discussed in which pl paramutation results in heritable changes of chromatin structure that fundamentally alter regulatory interactions occurring during plant development”