Isolation of DNA-methyltransferase genes from strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) and their expression in relation to micropropagation

DNA methylation can control gene expression and may also play a role in plant development. Methylation of cytosine residues in DNA is enzymatically catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases. In this study, full-length genomic genes and cDNAs of methyltransferase (MET1) and domain-rearranged methyltransferase (DRM) were isolated from strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.). Two genomic clones (FaMET1a and FaMET1b) encoding MET1 had open-reading frame of 4,695 and 4,671 nucleotides with two introns, respectively. Amino acid sequence comparison indicated high similarity (98.72% identity) of strawberry MET1 protein to other plant MET1 sequences. The full-length cDNA of strawberry DRM genes (FaDRMa, FaDRMb and FaDRMc) were 2,273, 2,282 and 2,288 bp, respectively. Ten introns with different sizes were dispersed in FaDRM genes. Similarly, FaDRMa, FaDRMb and FaDRMc had high-sequence similarity overall. Expressions of strawberry MET1 and DRM genes were compared among in vitro-micropropagated plants, generations of micropropagated plants and conventionally propagated plants. The transcriptional expressions of both FaMET1 and FaDRM genes were downregulated in micropropagated plants, and they were recovered in the first and second runner generations of micropropagated plants. However, there was a slighter difference in global DNA methylation rates between micropropagated plants and conventionally propagated plants. Therefore, there was no positive relation between global DNA methylation rates and the expression levels of MET1 and DRM genes.