Publications
14 results found
Keyzor C, Mermaz B, Trigazis E, et al., 2021, Histone demethylases ELF6 and JMJ13 antagonistically regulate self-fertility in Arabidopsis, Frontiers in Plant Science, Vol: 12, ISSN: 1664-462X
The chromatin modification H3K27me3 is involved in almost every developmental stage in Arabidopsis. Much remains unknown about the dynamic regulation of this histone modification in flower development and control of self-fertility. Here we demonstrate that the H3K27me3-specific demethylases ELF6 and JMJ13 antagonistically regulate carpel and stamen growth and thus modulate self-fertility. Transcriptome and epigenome data are used to identify potential targets of ELF6 and JMJ13 responsible for these physiological functions. We find that ELF6 relieves expansin genes of epigenetic silencing to promote cell elongation in the carpel, enhancing carpel growth and therefore encouraging out-crossing. On the other hand, JMJ13 activates genes of the jasmonic acid regulatory network alongside the auxin responsive SAUR26, to inhibit carpel growth, enhance stamen growth, and overall promote self-pollination. Our evidence provides novel mechanisms of self-fertility regulation in A. thaliana demonstrating how chromatin modifying enzymes govern the equilibrium between flower self-pollination and out-crossing.
Yang C, Song J, Ferguson A, et al., 2017, Transcription factor MYB26 is key to spatial specificity in anther secondary thickening formation, Plant Physiology, Vol: 175, Pages: 333-350, ISSN: 1532-2548
Successful fertilisation relies on the production and effective release of viable pollen. Failure of anther opening (dehiscence), results in male sterility although the pollen may be fully functional. MYB26 regulates the formation of secondary thickening in the anther endothecium, which is critical for anther dehiscence and fertility. Here we show that the although the MYB26 transcript shows expression in multiple floral organs the MYB26 protein is localised specifically to the anther endothecium nuclei and that it directly regulates two NAC domain genes, NST1 and NST2, which are critical for the induction of secondary thickening biosynthesis genes. However there is a complex relationship of regulation between these genes and MYB26. Using DEX-inducible MYB26 lines and overexpression in the various mutant backgrounds we have shown that MYB26 up-regulates both NST1 and NST2 expression. Surprisingly normal thickening and fertility rescue does not occur in the absence of MYB26, even with constitutively induced NST1 and NST2, suggesting an additional essential role for MYB26 in this regulation. However, combined overexpression of NST1 and NST2 in myb26 facilitates limited ectopic thickening in the anther epidermis, but not in the endothecium and thus fails to rescue dehiscence. By this series of regulatory controls, secondary thickening is formed specifically within the endothecium; this specificity is essential for anther opening.
Questa JI, Song J, Geraldo N, et al., 2016, Arabidopsis transcriptional repressor VAL1 triggers Polycomb silencing at FLC during vernalization, Science, Vol: 353, Pages: 485-488, ISSN: 0036-8075
The determinants that specify the genomic targets of Polycomb silencing complexes are still unclear. Polycomb silencing of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) accelerates flowering and involves a cold-dependent epigenetic switch. Here we identify a single point mutation at an intragenic nucleation site within FLC that prevents this epigenetic switch from taking place. The mutation blocks nucleation of plant homeodomain–Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PHD-PRC2) and indicates a role for the transcriptional repressor VAL1 in the silencing mechanism. VAL1 localizes to the nucleation region in vivo, promoting histone deacetylation and FLC transcriptional silencing, and interacts with components of the conserved apoptosis- and splicing-associated protein (ASAP) complex. Sequence-specific targeting of transcriptional repressors thus recruits the machinery for PHD-PRC2 nucleation and epigenetic silencing.
Angel A, Song J, Yang H, et al., 2015, Vernalizing cold is registered digitally at FLC, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol: 112, Pages: 4146-4151, ISSN: 0027-8424
A fundamental property of many organisms is an ability to sense, evaluate, and respond to environmental signals. In some situations, generation of an appropriate response requires long-term information storage. A classic example is vernalization, where plants quantitatively sense long-term cold and epigenetically store this cold-exposure information to regulate flowering time. In Arabidopsis thaliana, stable epigenetic memory of cold is digital: following long-term cold exposure, cells respond autonomously in an all-or-nothing fashion, with the fraction of cells that stably silence the floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) increasing with the cold exposure duration. However, during cold exposure itself it is unknown whether vernalizing cold is registered at FLC in individual cells in an all-or-nothing (digital) manner or is continuously varying (analog). Using mathematical modeling, we found that analog registration of cold temperature is problematic due to impaired analog-to-digital conversion into stable memory. This disadvantage is particularly acute when responding to short cold periods, but is absent when cold temperatures are registered digitally at FLC. We tested this prediction experimentally, exposing plants to short periods of cold interrupted with even shorter warm breaks. For FLC expression, we found that the system responds similarly to both interrupted and uninterrupted cold, arguing for a digital mechanism integrating long-term temperature exposure.
Song J, Rutjens B, Dean C, 2014, Detecting histone modifications in plants, Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol: 1112, Pages: 165-175, ISSN: 1064-3745
Histone modifications play an essential role in chromatin-associated processes including gene regulation and epigenetic inheritance. It is therefore very important to quantitatively analyze histone modifications at both the single gene and whole genome level. Here, we describe a robust chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) method for Arabidopsis, which could be adapted for other plant species. This method is compatible with multiple downstream applications including qPCR, tilling arrays, and high-throughput sequencing. © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014.
Song J, Rutjens B, Dean C, 2014, Detecting histone modifications in plants., Methods Mol Biol, Vol: 1112, Pages: 165-175
Histone modifications play an essential role in chromatin-associated processes including gene regulation and epigenetic inheritance. It is therefore very important to quantitatively analyze histone modifications at both the single gene and whole genome level. Here, we describe a robust chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) method for Arabidopsis, which could be adapted for other plant species. This method is compatible with multiple downstream applications including qPCR, tilling arrays, and high-throughput sequencing.
Song J, Irwin J, Dean C, 2013, Remembering the Prolonged Cold of Winter, CURRENT BIOLOGY, Vol: 23, Pages: R807-R811, ISSN: 0960-9822
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- Citations: 86
Song J, Angel A, Howard M, et al., 2012, Vernalization - a cold-induced epigenetic switch, JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE, Vol: 125, Pages: 3723-3731, ISSN: 0021-9533
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- Citations: 148
Coustham V, Li P, Strange A, et al., 2012, Quantitative Modulation of Polycomb Silencing Underlies Natural Variation in Vernalization, SCIENCE, Vol: 337, Pages: 584-587, ISSN: 0036-8075
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- Citations: 110
Bodi Z, Zhong S, Mehra S, et al., 2012, Adenosine methylation in Arabidopsis mRNA is associated with the 3 ' end and reduced levels cause developmental defects, FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE, Vol: 3, ISSN: 1664-462X
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- Citations: 165
Angel A, Song J, Dean C, et al., 2011, A Polycomb-based switch underlying quantitative epigenetic memory, NATURE, Vol: 476, Pages: 105-+, ISSN: 0028-0836
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- Citations: 301
Wilson ZA, Song J, Taylor B, et al., 2011, The final split: the regulation of anther dehiscence, JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, Vol: 62, Pages: 1633-1649, ISSN: 0022-0957
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- Citations: 159
Yang C, Xu Z, Song J, et al., 2007, Arabidopsis MYB26/MALE STERILE35 regulates secondary thickening in the endothecium and is essential for anther dehiscence, PLANT CELL, Vol: 19, Pages: 534-548, ISSN: 1040-4651
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- Citations: 226
Song J, mermaz B, Liu F, RNA ImmunoPrecipitation protocol to identify protein-RNA interaction in Arabidopsis thaliana
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