AlphaBeta: Computational inference of epimutation rates and spectra from high-throughput DNA methylation data in plants

Heritable changes in cytosine methylation can arise stochastically in plant genomes independently of DNA sequence alterations. These so-called 'spontaneous epimutations' appear to be abyproduct of imperfect DNA methylation maintenance during mitotic or meitotic cell divisions. Accurate estimates of the rate and spectrum of these stochastic events are necessary to be able to quantify how epimutational processes shape methylome diversity in the context of plant evolution, development and aging. Overall design: We created two lineages of mutation accumluation lines for Col-0 that were propagated by single seed descent growth for the indicated number of generations (G#). No replicates are possible in the designed experiment, although independent lineages do serve as a form of replication.