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Germ cells are immortal as they can be indefinitely transmitted through generations. Establishment of germ cell immortality and identity requires extensive reprogramming of the chromatin state. Understanding this epigenetic reprogramming is crucial for the elucidation of germline biology. Conversely, germlines are essential for understanding epigenetics because they mediate inheritance and undergo large-scale epigenetic changes.

My lab established the Arabidopsis male germline – composed of four cell types produced by three sequential cell divisions – as a model system, and developed advanced techniques for cell isolation, epigenomic analysis and live imaging. The ability to examine each germline cell type, combined with the high tolerance of Arabidopsis for epigenetic disruption, allows precise and powerful genetic analysis. I will discuss how we have used this system to elucidate the scope, mechanism and biological significance of plant germline epigenetic reprogramming.