RT Journal
A1 Shirai, Kazumasa
A1 Sato, Mitsuhiko P.
A1 Nishi, Ranko
A1 Seki, Masahide
A1 Suzuki, Yutaka
A1 Hanada, Kousuke
T1 Positive selective sweeps of epigenetic mutations regulating specialized metabolites in plants
JF Genome Research 
JO Genome Research 
YR 2021 
FD June 01 
VO 31 
IS 6 
SP 1060 
OP 1068 
DO 10.1101/gr.271726.120 
UL http://genome.cshlp.org/content/31/6/1060.abstract 
AB DNA methylation is an important factor regulating gene expression in organisms. However, whether DNA methylation plays a key role in adaptive evolution is unknown. Here, we show evidence of naturally selected DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana. In comparison with single nucleotide polymorphisms, three types of methylation—methylated CGs (mCGs), mCHGs, and mCHHs—contributed highly to variable gene expression levels among an A. thaliana population. Such variably expressed genes largely affect a large variation of specialized metabolic quantities. Among the three types of methylations, only mCGs located in promoter regions of genes associated with specialized metabolites show a selective sweep signature in the A. thaliana population. Thus, naturally selected mCGs appear to be key mutations that cause the expressional diversity associated with specialized metabolites during plant evolution.