Mary Gehring

Mary Gehring

Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering; Core Member and David Baltimore Chair in Biomedical Research, Whitehead Institute; Graduate Officer; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Mary Gehring researches epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation in plants.

617-324-0343

Phone

WI-561B

Office

mgehring@wi.mit.edu

Email

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Location

Lab Website
Beverly Dobson

Assistant

617-258-5214

Assistant Phone

Education

  • PhD, 2005, University of California, Berkeley
  • BA, 1998, Biology, Williams College

Research Summary

We focus on plant epigenetics — that is, the heritable information that influences cellular function but is not encoded in the DNA sequence itself. We use genetic, genomic and molecular biology approaches to study the fidelity of epigenetic inheritance and the dynamics of epigenomic reprogramming during reproduction, primarily in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. More specifically, we investigate the interplay among repetitive sequences, DNA methylation and chromatin structure in these dynamic processes.

Awards

  • Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award, 2013
  • Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, 2011

Recent Publications

  1. Presence and function of small RNAs during plant reproduction. Yang, AS, Tang, AM, Gehring, M. 2026. RNA Biol 23, 1-13.
    doi: 10.1080/15476286.2026.2679879PMID:42186994
  2. A transcriptional atlas of early Arabidopsis seed development suggests mechanisms for inter-tissue coordination. Martin, CA, Cogdill, KR, Pusey, AL, Gehring, M. 2026. Nat Plants 12, 1133-1149.
    doi: 10.1038/s41477-026-02295-8PMID:42168363
  3. The discovery of gene imprinting. Gehring, M. 2026. Nat Rev Genet , .
    doi: 10.1038/s41576-026-00973-zPMID:42157006
  4. A simple method to efficiently generate structural variation in plants. Bechen, LL, Ahsan, N, Bahrainwala, A, Gehring, M, Satyaki, PRV. 2025. PLoS Genet 21, e1011977.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1011977PMID:41411371
  5. Imprinting and DNA Methylation in Water Lily Endosperm: Implications for Seed Evolution. Povilus, RA, Martin, CA, Bechen, LL, Gehring, M. 2025. Mol Biol Evol 42, .
    doi: 10.1093/molbev/msaf271PMID:41134708
  6. The 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylase ROS1 prevents paternal genome hypermethylation in Arabidopsis endosperm. Hemenway, EA, Gehring, M. 2025. Genome Biol 26, 286.
    doi: 10.1186/s13059-025-03745-wPMID:40968367
  7. Parental dialectic: Epigenetic conversations in endosperm. Khouider, S, Gehring, M. 2024. Curr Opin Plant Biol 81, 102591.
    doi: 10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102591PMID:38944896
  8. CRWN nuclear lamina components maintain the H3K27me3 landscape and promote successful reproduction in Arabidopsis. Choi, J, Gehring, M. 2024. New Phytol 243, 213-228.
    doi: 10.1111/nph.19791PMID:38715414
  9. CRWN nuclear lamina components maintain the H3K27me3 landscape and promote successful reproduction in Arabidopsis. Choi, J, Gehring, M. 2023. bioRxiv , .
    doi: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560721PMID:37873406
  10. Epigenetic Regulation During Plant Development and the Capacity for Epigenetic Memory. Hemenway, EA, Gehring, M. 2023. Annu Rev Plant Biol 74, 87-109.
    doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070122-025047PMID:36854474
More Publications

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Photo credit: Gretchen Ertl/Whitehead Institute