JASON LYNN

I am a doctoral candidate at Florida State University interested in epigenetic gene regulation and inheritance. Using maize as a model, my research focuses on several factors that are part of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway (RdDM). This gene regulatory system is unique to flowering plants but analogous systems exist in lower plants and animals. RdDM establishes and maintains gene silencing through DNA methylation that is targeted to specific loci through the production of 24-nt small interfering RNA by plant specific RNA-polymerase IV and V. These transcripts are used as substrate by MOP1, an RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase, to generate double stranded molecules that are required for targeted deposition of DNA methylation. My current projects are identifying the genome-wide targets of MOP1, identifying and characterizing the proteins associated with the b1 tandem repeat locus in paramutation, and determining the role of MOP1 in transgenerational epigenetic inheritance of extreme drought stress. See below for more details of my work.