The Effects of DNA Methylation Inhibition on Flower Development in the Dioecious Plant Salix Viminalis

Abstract

DNA methylation, an important epigenetic modification, regulates the expression of genes and is therefore involved in the transitions between floral developmental stages in flowering plants. To explore whether DNA methylation plays different roles in the floral development of individual male and female dioecious plants, we injected 5-azacytidine (5-azaC), a DNA methylation inhibitor, into the trunks of female and male basket willow (Salix viminalis L.) trees before flower bud initiation. As expected, 5-azaC decreased the level of DNA methylation in the leaves of both male and female trees during floral development; however, it increased DNA methylation in the leaves of male trees at the flower transition stage. Furthermore, 5-azaC increased the number, length and diameter of flower buds in the female trees but decreased these parameters in the male trees. The 5-azaC treatment also decreased the contents of soluble sugars, starch and reducing sugars in the leaves of the female plants, while increasing them in the male plants at the flower transition stage; however, this situation was largely reversed at the flower development stage. In addition, 5-azaC treatment decreased the contents of auxin indoleacetic acid (IAA) in both male and female trees at the flower transition stage. These results indicate that hypomethylation in leaves at the flower transition stage promotes the initiation of flowering and subsequent floral growth in Salix viminalis, suggesting that DNA methylation plays a similar role in vegetative–reproductive transition and early floral development. Furthermore, methylation changes during the vegetative–reproductive transition and floral development were closely associated with the biosynthesis, metabolism and transportation of carbohydrates and IAA. These results provide insight into the epigenetic regulation of carbohydrate accumulation.

Exogenous 5-azaCitidine accelerates flowering and external GA3 increases ornamental value in Iranian Anemone accessions

“…Vernalization in the plant could be effectively replaced by 5-azaC treatment and act as a flowering accelerator 43 . The 5-azaC either increases the amount of carbohydrate (leaf sugar content) through regulating the expression of carbohydrate metabolism genes and flowering genes 44 or stimulates flowering by reducing inhibitor hormones, IAA for instance 45 . As mentioned in the results, 40 μM 5-azaC had a negative effect on the phenotype of Anemone accessions, reducing the plant height, root length, and the number of leaves and flower buds.…”

Epigenetics for Crop Improvement in Times of Global Change

“…Another study has taken advantage of the fact that flowering is controlled by, amongst other things, DNA methylation [ 130 ]. With this in mind, the treatment of 5-AzaC has been shown to cause earlier or more frequent flowering compared to untreated control plants [ 131 , 132 , 133 ]. DNA methylation has been suggested to play a role in suppressing transposon activity.…”

In Response to Abiotic Stress, DNA Methylation Confers EpiGenetic Changes in Plants

“…In most of the flower buds, 24ntsiRNAs are predominantly expressed; approximately 0.4% may predominantly express in the buds of some vegetables, e.g., radish [176]. Mostly in non-crop plants, MSAP is used to identify variations in methylation, as in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) [188], maize (Z. mays L.) [189], rapeseed (B. napus) [190], blackwattle (Acacia mangium) [180], and Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi) (Lamb. Carr.)…”