Histone methylation readers MRG1/2 interact with PIF4 to promote thermomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis
Nana Zhou,
Chengzhang Li,
Wenhao Xie,
Ning Liang,
Jiachen Wang,
Baihui Wang,
Jiabing Wu,
Wen-Hui Shen,
Bing Liu,
Aiwu Dong
Affiliations
Nana Zhou
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
Chengzhang Li
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
Wenhao Xie
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
Ning Liang
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
Jiachen Wang
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
Baihui Wang
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
Jiabing Wu
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China
Wen-Hui Shen
Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg Cédex, France
Bing Liu
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China; Department of Energy, Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Corresponding author
Aiwu Dong
State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center for Genetics and Development, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, P.R. China; Corresponding author
Summary: Warm ambient conditions induce thermomorphogenesis and affect plant growth and development. However, the chromatin regulatory mechanisms involved in thermomorphogenesis remain largely obscure. In this study, we show that the histone methylation readers MORF-related gene 1 and 2 (MRG1/2) are required to promote hypocotyl elongation in response to warm ambient conditions. A transcriptome sequencing analysis indicates that MRG1/2 and phytochrome interacting factor 4 (PIF4) coactivate a number of thermoresponsive genes, including YUCCA8, which encodes a rate-limiting enzyme in the auxin biosynthesis pathway. Additionally, MRG2 physically interacts with PIF4 to bind to thermoresponsive genes and enhances the H4K5 acetylation of the chromatin of target genes in a PIF4-dependent manner. Furthermore, MRG2 competes with phyB for binding to PIF4 and stabilizes PIF4 in planta. Our study indicates that MRG1/2 activate thermoresponsive genes by inducing histone acetylation and stabilizing PIF4 in Arabidopsis.
