Construction and characterization of a knock-down RNA interference line of in rice ( ssp cv Nipponbare).

In plants, RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is a silencing mechanism relying on the production of 24-nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) by RNA POLYMERASE IV (Pol IV) to trigger methylation and inactivation of transposable elements (TEs). We present the construction and characterization of , a knock-down RNA interference line of gene that encodes the largest subunit of Pol IV in rice ( ssp cv Nipponbare). We show that displays a lower accumulation of transcripts, associated with an overall reduction of 24-nt siRNAs and DNA methylation level in all three contexts, CG, CHG and CHH.