Open AccessFunctional dissection of the ARGONAUTE 7 promoter
Author(s) -
Hoyer J. Steen,
PrunedaPaz Jose L.,
Breton Ghislain,
Hassert Mariah A.,
Holcomb Emily E.,
Fowler Halley,
Bauer Kaylyn M.,
Mreen Jacob,
Kay Steve A.,
Carrington James C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plant direct
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.211
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 2475-4455
DOI - 10.1002/pld3.102
Subject(s) - argonaute , biology , promoter , gene silencing , gene , genetics , transcription (linguistics) , transcription factor , effector , rna , microbiology and biotechnology , computational biology , gene expression , rna interference , linguistics , philosophy
ARGONAUTES are the central effector proteins of RNA silencing which bind target transcripts in a small RNA ‐guided manner. Arabidopsis thaliana has 10 ARGONAUTE ( AGO ) genes, with specialized roles in RNA ‐directed DNA methylation, post‐transcriptional gene silencing, and antiviral defense. To better understand specialization among AGO genes at the level of transcriptional regulation we tested a library of 1497 transcription factors for binding to the promoters of AGO 1 , AGO 10 , and AGO 7 using yeast 1‐hybrid assays. A ranked list of candidate DNA ‐binding TF s revealed binding of the AGO 7 promoter by a number of proteins in two families: the miR156‐regulated SPL family and the miR319‐regulated TCP family, both of which have roles in developmental timing and leaf morphology. Possible functions for SPL and TCP binding are unclear: we showed that these binding sites are not required for the polar expression pattern of AGO 7 , nor for the function of AGO 7 in leaf shape. Normal AGO 7 transcription levels and function appear to depend instead on an adjacent 124‐bp region. Progress in understanding the structure of this promoter may aid efforts to understand how the conserved AGO 7‐triggered TAS 3 pathway functions in timing and polarity.