COP9 Signalosome Influences the Epigenetic Landscape of Arabidopsis Thaliana

DNA methylation is an epigenetic fundamental process by which methyl groups are added to DNA, it is known to affect cellular processes such as gene expression regulation, development and is related to various diseases.

The Cop9 signalosome (CSN) is a highly conserved multi-protein complex consisting of eight subunits (CSN1‐ 8) which is known to regulate multiple central intracellular processes. However, the possible effect of CSN on DNA methylation has not been studied yet.

Here, we performed Bisulphite sequencing, analyzing methylation effect on both a viable CSN mutant (csn5a-1) and a lethal CSN mutant (csn8) in comparison to the wild type in the plant Arabidopsis Thaliana as a model system. Among others, we show that the CSN has a global complex effect on methylation. The results may suggest that CSN regulates methylation not only in plants but also in other eukaryotes, including humans.