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ABA treatment of germinating maize seeds induces VP1 gene expression and selective promoter‐associated histone acetylation
Author(s) -
Zhang Lu,
Qiu Zhengming,
Hu Yong,
Yang Fei,
Yan Shihan,
Zhao Lin,
Li Bo,
He Shibin,
Huang Min,
Li Jun,
Li Lijia
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
physiologia plantarum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.351
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1399-3054
pISSN - 0031-9317
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-3054.2011.01496.x
Subject(s) - acetylation , trichostatin a , histone , chromatin immunoprecipitation , germination , biology , gene expression , histone acetyltransferases , sap30 , histone h4 , histone deacetylase , histone methyltransferase , epigenetics , biochemistry , promoter , gene , botany
Seed germination commences from a low metabolic state to a bioactive state and is associated with changes in the pattern of gene expression. Recent studies have revealed that epigenetic processes are involved in abscisic acid (ABA)‐regulated seed germination processes. In this study, we showed that the expression of both histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) was increased gradually during seed germination accompanying an increase in overall acetylation level of histone H3. Application of exogenous ABA repressed the expression of HATs as well as HDACs and delayed histone acetylation. Suppressing HDAC by treatment with an HDAC inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA), led to an increase in global histone acetylation and inhibited seed germination and growth. However, ABA and TSA both delayed the downregulation of the embryogenesis‐related gene viviparous1 ( VP1 ) during seed germination. The further chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the promoter region of the VP1 gene was deacetylated during seed germination, and this deacetylation event was inhibited by both ABA and TSA. These results suggested that a balance of the two enzymes HATs and HDACs affected the acetylation status of the VP1 gene and ABA selectively activated its transcription by an accumulation of acetylated histone H3 associated with the promoter region during seed germination.