Plant genomes encode various small RNAs that function in distinct, yet overlapping, genetic
and epigenetic silencing pathways. However, the abundance and diversity of small-RNA …

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is the major small RNA-mediated epigenetic
pathway in plants. RdDM requires a specialized transcriptional machinery that comprises …

Intrinsic postzygotic isolation typically appears as reduced viability or fertility of interspecific
hybrids caused by genetic incompatibilities between diverged parental genomes …

Within the life cycle of a living organism, another life cycle exists for the selfish genome
inhabitants, which are called transposable elements (TEs). These mobile sequences invade …

Epigenetic inheritance is more widespread in plants than in mammals, in part because
mammals erase epigenetic information by germline reprogramming. We sequenced the …

Polyploidization, the addition of a complete set of chromosomes to the genome, represents
one of the most dramatic mutations known to occur. Nevertheless, polyploidy is well …

Hybrids such as maize (Zea mays) or domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) grow bigger and
stronger than their parents. This is also true for allopolyploids such as wheat (Triticum spp.) …

Production of haploid plants that inherit chromosomes from only one parent can greatly
accelerate plant breeding,,. Haploids generated from a heterozygous individual and …

Polyploidy, or whole-genome duplication (WGD), is an important genomic feature for all
eukaryotes, especially many plants and some animals. The common occurrence of …

Incompatibilities in interspecific hybrids, such as sterility and lethality, are widely observed
causes of reproductive isolation and thus contribute to speciation. Because hybrid …