Invited Speaker  D24SY08IT10:30R6

Mapping the transgenerational epigenetic basis of complex traits in Arabidopsis

Author(s): Johannes F

Summary:

Quantifying the impact of heritable epigenetic variation on complex traits is an emerging challenge in population biology. Here we analyzed a panel of nearly isogenic Arabidopsis lines which segregate experimentally induced DNA methylation changes genome-wide. We provide compelling evidence that a small number of transgenerationally stable differentially methylated regions (DMRs) act as bone fide epigenetic quantitative trait loci (QTL^epi) in this population, accounting for 60-90% of the observed heritability underlying two complex traits, flowering time and root length. We show that these QTL^epi are reproducible and can be subjected to artificial selection. Over 75% of the putative causal DMRs within the QTL interval are also variable in wild populations of this species and are not significantly associated with cis or trans acting SNPs. These sequence-independent DMRs may be an important source of phenotypic diversity in ecological settings and thus provide a basis for Darwinian evolution.