Stable Inheritance of Spontaneous Epialleles in Arabidopsis thaliana

This research uses consecutive generations of two independent mutation accumulation (MA) lines in model organism A. thaliana to understand transgenerational stability of epialleles via self-fertilization. With whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, regions of instability were identified and quantified. The vast majority of the methylated genome is stably inherited to offspring and the identified unstable regions do not change frequently between generations. Additionally, an epigenetic cross of two MA lines was created to understand inheritance patterns of epialleles via outcrossing in the absence of genetic variation. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing was used to predict epigenotype of the offspring without single nucleotide polymorphisms. In regions of differential methylation between the parents, about half of regions show predictable inheritance. Eight and ten nearly consequetive generations from Arabidopsis thaliana mutation accumulation lines; genetic cross of two individuals from different MA lines, parents, twenty F2s, individuals of two generations of single-seed decent from the parents