Words similar to paramutation
Example sentences for: paramutation
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Paramutation has been studied extensively for four maize loci that encode transcriptional regulators of pigment biosynthesis [ 1 ] . Paramutation has also been investigated in the Arabidopsis PAI gene family, at the a1 and chalcone synthase (CHS) transgene loci in petunia, and in a number of other cases [ 2 3 4 ] . The Arabidopsis resistance gene BAL/CPR1 displays a related form of epigenetic instability [ 5 6 ] . Interactions resembling paramutation also occur among non-allelic transgene loci with DNA sequence homology.
The methylation status of the maize r1 genes and Arabidopsis PAI genes is altered upon paramutation [ 12 19 ] , while that of maize b1 is not [ 1 ] , except, in the non-conventional way, in the distal paramutation-control region of b1 [ 18 ] . Conversely, extensive exposure of a wild-type Arabidopsis SUPERMAN allele to a heavily methylated and transcriptionally silenced epiallele did not reveal any trans-silencing [ 20 ] .
These results underscore the similarity between trans-silencing and paramutation, because in both cases epialleles are often silenced incompletely and may also adopt novel regulatory patterns [ 4 10 ] , for example light inducibility [ 33 ] . Perhaps, silencing at the dimeric E82 locus involves a hierarchical relationship between its two intact T-DNAs.
Epigenetic activity, defined here as partnership in heritable trans-silencing or paramutation, is not predictable from the DNA sequence alone, and its molecular basis is incompletely understood.
In the classical case of paramutation at the maize b1 locus, the imprint is relayed with 100% efficiency [ 24 ] . That is, a paramutated allele is turned into a paramutagenic allele.