Genome-Wide Identification of DNA Methyltransferase and Demethylase in sect. Turanga and Their Potential Roles in Heteromorphic Leaf Development in .

DNA methylation, mediated by DNA methyltransferases (DMTs) and demethylases (DMLs), is an important epigenetic modification that maintains genomic stability and regulates gene expression in plant growth, development, and stress responses. However, a comprehensive characterization of these gene families in sect. Turanga remains lacking. In this study, eight and two genes were identified in , and six and three genes in . Phylogenetic analysis revealed that DMTs and DMLs could be classified into four and three subfamilies, respectively. The analysis of cis-acting elements indicated that the promoter regions of both DMTs and DMLs were enriched with elements responsive to growth and development, light, phytohormones, and stress. Collinearity analysis detected three segmentally duplicated gene pairs (, , and ), suggesting potential functional diversification. Transcriptome profiling showed that several and exhibited leaf shape- and developmental stage-specific expression patterns, with highly expressed during early stages and in broad-ovate leaves. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing revealed corresponding decreases in DNA methylation levels, suggesting that active demethylation may contribute to heteromorphic leaf formation. Overall, this study provides significant insights for exploring the functions and expression regulation of plant DMTs and DMLs and will contribute to future research unraveling the molecular mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in .