Beschreibung:
<jats:title>Significance</jats:title>
<jats:p>
RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) has traditionally been associated with transposable elements, but more recent studies have shown that RdDM also targets regulatory regions of protein-coding genes. Moreover, DNA methylation in
<jats:italic>Arabidopsis</jats:italic>
appears to be more dynamic than previously believed and may correlate with transcriptional responses to environmental stresses, such as pathogens. Therefore, the identification and characterization of RdDM mechanisms is fundamental to our understanding of how biological traits are controlled at an epigenetic level. We have performed a screen based on available coexpression data and identified two previously uncharacterized genes,
<jats:italic>FRG1</jats:italic>
and -
<jats:italic>2</jats:italic>
, involved in RdDM. This work also shows the validity of coexpression data as an approach to assign new gene functions for RdDM.
</jats:p>