Transposable elements are vectors of recurrent transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in nature

Abstract

Loss of DNA methylation over transposable elements (TEs) can affect neighboring genes and be epigenetically inherited in plants, yet the determinants and significance of this additional system of inheritance are unknown. Here, we demonstrate at thousands of TE loci across the Arabidopsis thaliana genome, that experimentally-induced hypomethylation can be transmitted transgenerationally and reveal the role of small RNAs derived from related copies in counteracting this transmission. Using data from >700 strains collected worldwide, we uncover natural hypomethylation at hundreds of the same TE loci, often situated near stress-responsive genes. Like their experimental counterparts, most natural epivariants we tested can be inherited without DNA sequence changes and are therefore bona fide epialleles, although genetic factors modulate their recurrence or persistence. Crucially, we demonstrate that TE-mediated epiallelic variation associated with differential gene expression is generally causal and may be target of selection in specific environments, thus establishing its importance in nature.