EGTA, a calcium chelator, affects cell cycle and increases DNA methylation in root tips of Triticum aestivum L.

In this study, when germinated Triticum aestivum L. seeds were treated with 0, 2, 4 and 6 mM ethyl glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA), root growth was suppressed and the mitotic index decreased. These inhibitory effects were positively correlated with EGTA concentration. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression of several gene markers related to the G1/S transition of the cell cycle were significantly downregulated. Confocal microscopy of Fluo-3/AM-stained roots showed chelation of nearly all of the Ca2+ within the root meristematic regions. Both random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and coupled restriction enzyme digestion-random amplification (CRED-RA) techniques showed significant increases in the levels of genomic DNA polymorphisms and degree of DNA methylation. The study provides information concerning the impact of Ca2+ chelator, EGTA, on the growth, expression of cell cycle transition marker genes, and changes in DNA structure and methylation in the wheat roots.