Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
4490123 | Agricultural Sciences in China | 2010 | 9 Pages |
To study the relations between DNA methylation and abiotic stress responses in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), the methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP) method was used to investigate the differences in methylation level and the change of cytosine methylation patterns under salt (NaCl) stress in two different salt-tolerant cotton lines. The results showed that the number of the cytosine methylation of CCGG sites in high salt-tolerant cotton line was less than that in low salt-tolerant line. Under salt stress, extensive cytosine methylation alterations including hypermethylation and demethylation as well as the potential conversion of methylation types occurred in the salt-treated cotton line compared with the corresponding control. Interestingly, salt stress-induced demethylation loci that occurred in high salt-tolerant cotton line were greater than those in low salt-tolerant cotton line, however, salt stress-induced hypermethylation loci in the high salt-tolerant cotton line were less than those in low salt-tolerant cotton line. It suggested that the demethylation positively contributed to salt tolerance and the hypermethylation had negative effect on salt tolerance in cotton.