An siRNA pathway prevents transgenerational retrotransposition in plants subjected to stress

Hidetaka Ito, Hervé Gaubert, Etienne Bucher, Marie Mirouze, Isabelle Vaillant and Jerzy Paszkowski ()
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Hidetaka Ito: University of Geneva, Sciences III, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet
Hervé Gaubert: University of Geneva, Sciences III, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet
Etienne Bucher: University of Geneva, Sciences III, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet
Marie Mirouze: University of Geneva, Sciences III, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet
Isabelle Vaillant: University of Geneva, Sciences III, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet
Jerzy Paszkowski: University of Geneva, Sciences III, 30 Quai Ernest-Ansermet

Nature, 2011, vol. 472, issue 7341, 115-119

Abstract: How plants handle heat stress The transcription of repetitive elements such as retrotransposons — mobile genetic elements constituting more than 40% and 60% of the human and maize (corn) genomes, respectively — is normally repressed, to prevent their unchecked dissemination throughout the genome. Ito et al. show that heat stress in Arabidopsis plants induces transcription of the ONSEN retroelement. Accumulation of ONSEN is suppressed by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). In the absence of siRNAs, new ONSEN insertions appear in the progeny, having transposed during differentiation. These results imply a memory of stress that is counteracted by siRNAs, providing a way of preventing transgenerational retrotransposition in plants facing environmental stress.

Date: 2011
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DOI: 10.1038/nature09861

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