Journal Article

Vernalization-Mediated Epigenetic Silencing by a Long Intronic Noncoding RNA

Heo, Jae Bok, Sung, Sibum

2011

Overview

Vernalization is an environmentally-induced epigenetic switch in which winter cold triggers epigenetic silencing of floral repressors and thus provides competence to flower in spring. In Arabidopsis, winter cold triggers enrichment of tri-methylated histone H3 Lys²⁷ at chromatin of the floral repressor, FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), and results in epigenetically stable repression of FLC. This epigenetic change is mediated by an evolutionarily conserved repressive complex, polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). Here, we show that a long intronic noncoding RNA [termed COLD ASSISTED INTRONIC NONCODING RNA (COLDAIR)] is required for the vernalization-mediated epigenetic repression of FLC. COLDAIR physically associates with a component of PRC2 and targets PRC2 to FLC. Our results show that COLDAIR is required for establishing stable repressive chromatin at FLC through its interaction with PRC2.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Arabidopsis / Arabidopsis - genetics / Arabidopsis - growth & development / Arabidopsis - physiology / Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics / Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism / Biological and medical sciences / Carrier Proteins - metabolism / Chromatin / Chromatin - metabolism / cold / Cold regions / Cold Temperature / DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics / DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism / Epigenesis, Genetic / Epigenetics / flowers / Flowers & plants / Flowers - growth & development / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / Gene expression / Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Gene Silencing / Genes, Plant / Genetic loci / histones / Histones - metabolism / Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism / Introns / MADS Domain Proteins - genetics / MADS Domain Proteins - metabolism / Molecular and cellular biology / Molecular genetics / non-coding RNA / Nuclear Proteins - metabolism / Plant biology / Plant reproduction / Plants / Plants, Genetically Modified / Polycomb-Group Proteins / Promoter regions / Promoter Regions, Genetic / Recombinant Proteins - metabolism / Repression / Repressor Proteins - metabolism / Response Elements / Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction / RNA / RNA Interference / RNA Polymerase II - metabolism / RNA, Antisense - genetics / RNA, Antisense - metabolism / RNA, Plant - genetics / RNA, Plant - metabolism / RNA, Untranslated - genetics / RNA, Untranslated - metabolism / spring / Transcription Factors - genetics / Transcription Factors - metabolism / Transcription, Genetic / Transcription. Transcription factor. Splicing. Rna processing / Vernalization / Winter