Connecting Epigenetic and Genetic Diversity of LTR retrotransposons in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous components of plant genomes that profoundly influence plant diversity, adaptation, and genome structure. Transposition of TEs is primarily suppressed by distinct DNA methylation systems. However, the distribution of DNA methylation at the level of individual TEs in plants remains poorly understood. Here, we address this question by generating per-base cytosine methylation maps of individual long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTEs) for the large sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).