Gene expression in Arabidopsis ddm1 mutants with high levels of Transposable Element activity

Background: Transposable elements are known to influence the regulation of some genes. We aimed to determine which genes show altered gene expression when transposable elements are epigenetically activated. Results: We find over 2000 genes with altered steady-state expression levels in ddm1 mutants. Some of these genes are influenced by neighboring transposable element fragments, while other genes are targeted by transposable element derived 21 nucleotide siRNAs. Conclusion: The regulation of the genic portion of the Arabidopsis genome is heavily influenced by the epigenetic regulation of transposable elements. The regulation of genes by transposable elements can occur through multiple mechanisms. Three biological replicates for two genotypes