Male fertility in plants requires active DNA demethylation of genes that control pollen tube funcion

We show that in model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the DNA glycosylases DEMETER (DME) and REPRESSOR OF SILENCING 1 (ROS1) of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana act semi-redundantly in pollen for hypomethylation of the vegetative cell, required for the activation of key genes involved in pollen tube function Whole genome sequencing of bisulfite-converted genomic DNA was carried out on sperm cells and vegetative cells of Arabidopsis thaliana wild type (Col-0 accession), ros1, dme/+ and dme/+;ros1 mutants