- Boone, Brandon A;
- Ichino, Lucia;
- Wang, Shuya;
- Gardiner, Jason;
- Yun, Jaewon;
- Jami-Alahmadi, Yasaman;
- Sha, Jihui;
- Mendoza, Cristy P;
- Steelman, Bailey J;
- van Aardenne, Aliya;
- Kira-Lucas, Sophia;
- Trentchev, Isabelle;
- Wohlschlegel, James A;
- Jacobsen, Steven E
DNA methylation mediates silencing of transposable elements and genes in part via recruitment of the Arabidopsis MBD5/6 complex, which contains the methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD) proteins MBD5 and MBD6, and the J-domain containing protein SILENZIO (SLN). Here, we characterize two additional complex members: α-crystalline domain (ACD) containing proteins ACD15 and ACD21. We show that they are necessary for gene silencing, bridge SLN to the complex, and promote higher-order multimerization of MBD5/6 complexes within heterochromatin. These complexes are also highly dynamic, with the mobility of MBD5/6 complexes regulated by the activity of SLN. Using a dCas9 system, we demonstrate that tethering the ACDs to an ectopic site outside of heterochromatin can drive a massive accumulation of MBD5/6 complexes into large nuclear bodies. These results demonstrate that ACD15 and ACD21 are critical components of the gene-silencing MBD5/6 complex and act to drive the formation of higher-order, dynamic assemblies at CG methylation (meCG) sites.