Histone Acetyltransferase GCN5 Regulates Rice Growth and Development and Enhances Salt Tolerance
Chao Xue,
Xinru Zhao,
Xu Chen,
Xingjing Cai,
Yingying Hu,
Xiya Li,
Yong Zhou,
Zhiyun Gong
Affiliations
Chao Xue
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding / Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory / Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education / Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; School of Agronomy and Horticulture, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212499, China
Xinru Zhao
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding / Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory / Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education / Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops / Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Xu Chen
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding / Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory / Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education / Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Xingjing Cai
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding / Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory / Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education / Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Yingying Hu
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops / Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Xiya Li
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops / Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Yong Zhou
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding / Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory / Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education / Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops / Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Zhiyun Gong
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genomics and Molecular Breeding / Zhongshan Biological Breeding Laboratory / Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics of the Ministry of Education / Agricultural College, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for Modern Production Technology of Grain Crops / Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Physiology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China; Corresponding author.
Histone acetylation is indispensable in the process of crops resisting abiotic stress, which is jointly catalyzed by histone acetyltransferases and deacetylases. However, the mechanism of regulating salt tolerance through histone acetyltransferase GCN5 is still unclear. We revealed that GCN5 can catalyze the acetylation of canonical H3 and H4 lysine residues both in vivo and in vitro in rice. The knockout mutants and RNA interference lines of OsGCN5 exhibited severe growth inhibition and defects in salt tolerance, while the over-expression of OsGCN5 enhanced the salt tolerance of rice seedlings, indicating that OsGCN5 positively regulated the response of rice to salt stress. RNA-seq analysis suggested OsGCN5 may positively regulate the salt tolerance of rice by inhibiting the expression of OsHKT2;1 or other salt-responsive genes. Taken together, our study indicated that GCN5 plays a key role in enhancing salt tolerance in rice.
