Role of DNA methylation in reproductive success in plants

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DNA methylation is a key epigenetic mark involved in the control of genome stability and gene expression in many eukaryotes. In plants, substantial DNA demethylation takes place in the male and female gamete companion cells, a process that is critical for reproduction. We have recently shown that active DNA demethylation is required to activate genes important for pollen function in Arabidopsis, which form a putative signalling complex that we will characterize in this project. Then, based on our observations that interaction between the parental reproductive structures is also controlled by DNA methylation on the female side, we will uncover the molecular bases of this novel type of parental communication during the fertilization process. Finally, we will extend our approach to explore the degree and function of DNA demethylation in maize, which shows a different reproductive strategy and epigenome organization, to obtain general principles of epigenetic resetting during reproduction.