Establishment of germline-specific DNA methylation in plants

Our recent work demonstrated distinctive DNA methylation occurs at hundreds of genes across the entire male germline in plants. This germline-specific methylation is catalysed by a ubiquitous methylation pathway, and regulates meiosis by controlling gene expression and splicing. However, it is unclear how genes become methylated specifically in the germline. This PhD project aims to uncover the mechanisms underlying methylation reprogramming in plant germlines, and address one of the most fundamental questions in DNA methylation regulation - how specific genes become methylated in specific cells. Using a combination of genetics, molecular and cell biology, epigenetics and genomics, this multidisciplinary work will demonstrate, for the first time, how an epigenetic pathway can be tailored in a specific lineage of cells to convey precise biological functions, laying a foundation for the study of epigenetic regulation of plant development.