Key Laboratory of Molecular Epigenetics of the Ministry of Education (MOE), Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China.
College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Sep 3;121(36):e2402946121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2402946121. Epub 2024 Aug 30.
Non-CG DNA methylation, a plant-specific epigenetic mark mainly regulated by chromomethylase (CMT), is known to play important roles in . However, whether and to what extent non-CG DNA methylation modulates agronomic traits in crops remain to be explored. Here, we describe the consequences of non-CG DNA hypomethylation on development, seed composition, and yield in soybean (). We created a mutant line lacking function of all four genes. This line exhibited substantial hypomethylation of non-CG (CHG and CHH) sites. Non-CG hypomethylation enhanced chromatin accessibility and promoted or repressed the expression of hundreds of functionally relevant genes, including upregulation of (), which led to enhanced photosynthesis and, unexpectedly, improved nitrogen fixation efficiency. The line produced larger seeds with increased protein content. This study provides insights into the mechanisms of non-CG methylation-based epigenetic regulation of soybean development and suggests viable epigenetic strategies for improving soybean yield and nutritional value.
非 CG 甲基化是一种植物特有的表观遗传标记，主要由 chromomethylase (CMT) 调控，已知其在 中发挥重要作用。然而，非 CG 甲基化是否以及在何种程度上调节作物的农艺性状仍有待探索。在这里，我们描述了大豆中非 CG 甲基化对发育、种子组成和产量的影响（）。我们创建了一个缺乏所有四个 基因功能的 突变体系。该系表现出非 CG（CHG 和 CHH）位点的大量去甲基化。非 CG 去甲基化增强了染色质可及性，并促进或抑制了数百个具有功能相关性的基因的表达，包括上调 （），这导致了增强的光合作用，出乎意料的是，提高了固氮效率。 系产生的种子更大，蛋白质含量更高。本研究深入了解了非 CG 甲基化的表观遗传调控机制在大豆发育中的作用，并为提高大豆产量和营养价值提供了可行的表观遗传策略。
