Maternal and Paternal Epigenetic Inheritance of Trichome Densities in Mimulus guttatus

Presenter Information

Kayla Akkerman

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom C/D

Start Date

16-5-2013

End Date

16-5-2013

Abstract

Leaf damage induces increased production of trichomes, hair-like structures that can deter insect herbivores, in Mimulus guttatus (the yellow monkeyflower). This induced state is inherited by offspring even though it does not involve changes in DNA sequence, producing one of the only known examples of epigenetic inheritance of an environmentally induced, ecologically relevant trait. The first objective of this project was to determine whether epigenetic inheritance of increased trichome production occurs via the maternal gametes, paternal gametes, or both. The second objective of this project was to determine whether epigenetic inheritance is accomplished by methylation of the maternal and/or paternal DNA. Plants from a single recombinant inbred line were assigned to damage or control treatments and randomly crossed to create a full factorial experiment involving maternal and paternal damage. Each combination of parental damage was represented by four independent parent pairs. Half of the seeds from each parent pair were treated with 5-azacytidine, a chemical that results in genome-wide demethylation. Progeny were raised together in standard greenhouse conditions and assessed for density of trichomes on the 5th leaf pair. Analysis via general linear mixed-model showed that the response to damage is inherited through both the maternal and paternal gametes, and that the maternal and paternal contributions to this response are additive. Demethylation erased the paternal contribution but not the maternal contribution to epigenetic inheritance of increased trichome density. These results suggest that the mechanism for epigenetic inheritance differs between maternal and paternal gametes, and paternal inheritance likely involves DNA methylation.

Poster Number

32

Faculty Mentor(s)

Alison Scoville

Additional Mentoring Department

Biological Sciences

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May 16th, 8:20 AM May 16th, 10:50 AM

Maternal and Paternal Epigenetic Inheritance of Trichome Densities in Mimulus guttatus

SURC Ballroom C/D

Leaf damage induces increased production of trichomes, hair-like structures that can deter insect herbivores, in Mimulus guttatus (the yellow monkeyflower). This induced state is inherited by offspring even though it does not involve changes in DNA sequence, producing one of the only known examples of epigenetic inheritance of an environmentally induced, ecologically relevant trait. The first objective of this project was to determine whether epigenetic inheritance of increased trichome production occurs via the maternal gametes, paternal gametes, or both. The second objective of this project was to determine whether epigenetic inheritance is accomplished by methylation of the maternal and/or paternal DNA. Plants from a single recombinant inbred line were assigned to damage or control treatments and randomly crossed to create a full factorial experiment involving maternal and paternal damage. Each combination of parental damage was represented by four independent parent pairs. Half of the seeds from each parent pair were treated with 5-azacytidine, a chemical that results in genome-wide demethylation. Progeny were raised together in standard greenhouse conditions and assessed for density of trichomes on the 5th leaf pair. Analysis via general linear mixed-model showed that the response to damage is inherited through both the maternal and paternal gametes, and that the maternal and paternal contributions to this response are additive. Demethylation erased the paternal contribution but not the maternal contribution to epigenetic inheritance of increased trichome density. These results suggest that the mechanism for epigenetic inheritance differs between maternal and paternal gametes, and paternal inheritance likely involves DNA methylation.