Abstract
Genomic imprinting is the epigenetic phenomenon that results in mono-allelic gene expression according to their parent-of-origin. In flowering plants, genomic imprinting was found in the endosperm, and the establishment of imprinting is known to require DNA demethylation of maternal allele, but little is know about how DNA demethylation is regulated.
We isolated alarm clock for FWA imprinting 1 (alac1) mutant that were affected the activation of maternally expressed genes, FWA, MEDEA and FIS2. alac1 exhibits fertilization independent endosperm development like mea and fis2. Furthermore, DNA methylation levels within the promoter region of FWA remained higher in the endosperms of mutants than those in WT. These results indicate ALAC1 controls the establishment of genomic imprinting through DNA demathylation. alac1 encodes chromatin related protein. The relationship of chromatin remodeling and DNA demethylation will be discussed.
