AGO104 is an RdDM effector of paramutation at the maize b1 locus

Paramutation is an exception among eukaryotes, in which epigenetic information is conserved through mitosis and meiosis. It has been studied for over 70 years in maize, but the mechanisms involved are largely unknown. All previously described actors of paramutation encoding components of the RNA-dependent DNA-methylation pathway (RdDM) are involved in the biogenesis of 24nt small RNAs. However, no actors of paramutation have been identified in the effector complex of RdDM. Through a combination of reverse genetics, immunolocalization and immunoprecipitation (siRNA-IP) we found that ARGONAUTE104 (AGO104), AGO105 and AGO119 are members of the RdDM effector complex in maize and bind siRNAs produced from the tandem repeats required for paramutation at the b1 locus. We also showed that AGO104 is an effector of the b1 paramutation in maize. Overall design: siRNA for immature ears