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RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is an epigenetic process first discovered in plants (''Wassenegger et al'', 1994, Cell, Vol 76, 567-576). During RdDM, double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) are processed to 21-24 nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and guide methylation of homologous DNA loci. In plants dsRNAs may be generated from three sources: * Viral replication intermediates * Products of the endogenous RNA-directed RNA polymerase * Transcribed inverted repeats * Transposable elements Besides RNA molecules, a plethora of proteins are involved in the establishment of RdDM, like Argonautes, DNA methyltransferases, chromatin remodelling complexes and the plant-specific PolIV and PolV. All these act in concert to add a methyl-group at the 5' position of cytosines. In contrast to animals, cytosines at all sequence context (CG, CHG, CHH) may get de novo methylated in plants. ==References== * * * * * 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「RNA-Directed DNA Methylation」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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