EpiRILs: Lessons From Arabidopsis
Résumé
In recent times, epigenetic marks have emerged as important players involved in the regulation of gene expression and transposable element silencing in many organisms. In plants, many epigenetic changes, mainly at the level of DNA methylation, are transgenerational stable and contribute to formation of epialleles, affecting developmental and agronomical traits. In this scenario, it becomes critical to differentiate the genetic from the epigenetic contribution to plant phenotypes. In Arabidopsis, epigenetic Recombinant Inbred Lines (epiRILs), obtained by an initial cross of isogenic parents with different DNA methylation profiles, provide a powerful tool to investigate the role and significance of epigenetic alteration in identical or almost identical genetic backgrounds. Such populations have greatly increased our knowledge in mechanisms involved in epialleles formation and stability, as well as in the consequences of DNA methylation changes in genomic stability, transposable elements activation and phenotypic traits.