Arabidopsis MSI1 connects LHP1 to PRC2 complexes

PRC1 is taking the lead in PcG repression

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins constitute a major epigenetic mechanism for gene repression throughout the plant life. For a long time, the PcG mechanism has been proposed to follow a hierarchical recruitment of PcG repressive complexes (PRCs) to target genes in which the binding of PRC2 and the incorporation of H3 lysine 27 trimethyl marks led to recruitment of PRC1, which in turn mediated H2A monoubiquitination. However, recent studies have turned this model upside-down by showing that PRC1 activity can be required for PRC2 recruitment and H3K27me3 marking. Here, we review the current knowledge on plant PRC1 composition and mechanisms of repression, as well as its role during plant development.

Environmental perception and epigenetic memory: mechanistic insight through FLC

Chromatin plays a central role in orchestrating gene regulation at the transcriptional level. However, our understanding of how chromatin states are altered in response to environmental and developmental cues, and then maintained epigenetically over many cell divisions, remains poor. The floral repressor gene FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) in Arabidopsis thaliana is a useful system to address these questions. FLC is transcriptionally repressed during exposure to cold temperatures, allowing studies of how environmental conditions alter expression states at the chromatin level. FLC repression is also epigenetically maintained during subsequent development in warm conditions, so that exposure to cold may be remembered. This memory depends on molecular complexes that are highly conserved among eukaryotes, making FLC not only interesting as a paradigm for understanding biological decision-making in plants, but also an important system for elucidating chromatin-based gene regulation more generally. In this review, we summarize our understanding of how cold temperature induces a switch in the FLC chromatin state, and how this state is epigenetically remembered. We also discuss how the epigenetic state of FLC is reprogrammed in the seed to ensure a requirement for cold exposure in the next generation.

PcG and trxG in plants - friends or foes

The highly-conserved Polycomb group (PcG) and trithorax group (trxG) proteins play major roles in regulating gene expression and maintaining developmental states in many organisms. However, neither the recruitment of Polycomb repressive complexes (PRC) nor the mechanisms of PcG and trxG-mediated gene silencing and activation are well understood. Recent progress in Arabidopsis research challenges the dominant model of PRC2-dependent recruitment of PRC1 to target genes. Moreover, evidence indicates that diverse forms of PRC1, with shared components, are a common theme in plants and mammals. Although trxG is known to antagonize PcG, emerging data reveal that trxG can also repress gene expression, acting cooperatively with PcG. We discuss these recent findings and highlight the employment of diverse epigenetic mechanisms during development in plants and animals.

Stress-induced chromatin changes in plants: of memories, metabolites and crop improvement

Exposure of plants to adverse environmental conditions leads to extensive transcriptional changes. Genome-wide approaches and gene function studies have revealed the importance of chromatin-level control in the regulation of stress-responsive gene expression. Advances in understanding chromatin modifications implicated in plant stress response and identifying proteins involved in chromatin-mediated transcriptional responses to stress are briefly presented in this review. We then highlight how chromatin-mediated gene expression changes can be coupled to the metabolic status of the cell, since many of the chromatin-modifying proteins involved in transcriptional regulation depend on cofactors and metabolites that are shared with enzymes in basic metabolism. Lastly, we discuss the stability and heritability of stress-induced chromatin changes and the potential of chromatin-based strategies for increasing stress tolerance of crops.

The plant Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) existed in the ancestor of seed plants and has a complex duplication history

Background

Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) is an essential protein complex for plant development. It catalyzes ubiquitination of histone H2A that is an important part of the transcription repression machinery. Absence of PRC1 subunits in Arabidopsis thaliana plants causes severe developmental defects. Many aspects of the plant PRC1 are elusive, including its origin and phylogenetic distribution.

Results

We established the evolutionary history of the plant PRC1 subunits (LHP1, Ring1a-b, Bmi1a-c, EMF1, and VRN1), enabled by sensitive phylogenetic methods and newly sequenced plant genomes from previously unsampled taxonomic groups.

We showed that all PRC1 core subunits exist in gymnosperms, earlier than previously thought, and that VRN1 is a recent addition, found exclusively in eudicots. The retention of individual subunits in chlorophytes, mosses, lycophytes and monilophytes indicates that they can moonlight as part of other complexes or processes. Moreover, we showed that most PRC1 subunits underwent a complex, duplication-rich history that differs significantly between Brassicaceae and other eudicots.

Conclusions

PRC1 existed in the last common ancestor of seed plants where it likely played an important regulatory role, aiding their radiation. The presence of LHP1, Ring1 and Bmi1 in mosses, lycophytes and monilophytes also suggests the presence of a primitive yet functional PRC1.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0319-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Polycomb repression in the regulation of growth and development in Arabidopsis

Chromatin state is critical for cell identity and development in multicellular eukaryotes. Among the regulators of chromatin state, Polycomb group (PcG) proteins stand out because of their role in both establishment and maintenance of cell identity. PcG proteins act in two major complexes in metazoans and plants. These complexes function to epigenetically-in a mitotically heritable manner-prevent expression of important developmental regulators at the wrong stage of development or in the wrong tissue. In Arabidopsis, PcG function is required throughout the life cycle from seed germination to embryo formation. Recent studies have expanded our knowledge regarding the biological roles and the regulation of the activity of PcG complexes. In this review, we discuss novel functions of Polycomb repression in plant development as well as advances in understanding PcG complex recruitment, activity regulation and removal in Arabidopsis and other plant species.

The polycomb group protein regulatory network

Correct expression of specific sets of genes in time and space ensures the establishment and maintenance of cell identity, which is required for proper development of multicellular organisms. Polycomb and Trithorax group proteins form multisubunit complexes that antagonistically act in epigenetic gene repression and activation, respectively. The traditional view of Polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs) as executors of long-lasting and stable gene repression is being extended by evidence of flexible repression in response to developmental and environmental cues, increasing the complexity of mechanisms that ensure selective and properly timed PRC targeting and release of Polycomb repression. Here, we review advances in understanding of the composition, mechanisms of targeting, and function of plant PRCs and discuss the parallels and differences between plant and animal models.

Polycomb-mediated gene silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are conserved chromatin regulators involved in the control of key developmental programs in eukaryotes. They collectively provide the transcriptional memory unique to each cell identity by maintaining transcriptional states of developmental genes. PcG proteins form multi-protein complexes, known as Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). PRC1 and PRC2 contribute to the stable gene silencing in part through catalyzing covalent histone modifications. Components of PRC1 and PRC2 are well conserved from plants to animals. PcG-mediated gene silencing has been extensively investigated in efforts to understand molecular mechanisms underlying developmental programs in eukaryotes. Here, we describe our current knowledge on PcG-mediated gene repression which dictates developmental programs by dynamic layers of regulatory activities, with an emphasis given to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Product binding enforces the genomic specificity of a yeast polycomb repressive complex

We characterize the Polycomb system that assembles repressive subtelomeric domains of H3K27 methylation (H3K27me) in the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans. Purification of this PRC2-like protein complex reveals orthologs of animal PRC2 components as well as a chromodomain-containing subunit, Ccc1, which recognizes H3K27me. Whereas removal of either the EZH or EED ortholog eliminates H3K27me, disruption of mark recognition by Ccc1 causes H3K27me to redistribute. Strikingly, the resulting pattern of H3K27me coincides with domains of heterochromatin marked by H3K9me. Indeed, additional removal of the C. neoformans H3K9 methyltransferase Clr4 results in loss of both H3K9me and the redistributed H3K27me marks. These findings indicate that the anchoring of a chromatin-modifying complex to its product suppresses its attraction to a different chromatin type, explaining how enzymes that act on histones, which often harbor product recognition modules, may deposit distinct chromatin domains despite sharing a highly abundant and largely identical substrate-the nucleosome.

Arabidopsis RRP6L1 and RRP6L2 function in FLOWERING LOCUS C silencing via regulation of antisense RNA synthesis

The exosome complex functions in RNA metabolism and transcriptional gene silencing. Here, we report that mutations of two Arabidopsis genes encoding nuclear exosome components AtRRP6L1 and AtRRP6L2, cause de-repression of the main flowering repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) and thus delay flowering in early-flowering Arabidopsis ecotypes. AtRRP6L mutations affect the expression of known FLC regulatory antisense (AS) RNAs AS I and II, and cause an increase in Histone3 K4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) at FLC. AtRRP6L1 and AtRRP6L2 function redundantly in regulation of FLC and also act independently of the exosome core complex. Moreover, we discovered a novel, long non-coding, non-polyadenylated antisense transcript (ASL, for Antisense Long) originating from the FLC locus in wild type plants. The AtRRP6L proteins function as the main regulators of ASL synthesis, as these mutants show little or no ASL transcript. Unlike ASI/II, ASL associates with H3K27me3 regions of FLC, suggesting that it could function in the maintenance of H3K27 trimethylation during vegetative growth. AtRRP6L mutations also affect H3K27me3 levels and nucleosome density at the FLC locus. Furthermore, AtRRP6L1 physically associates with the ASL transcript and directly interacts with the FLC locus. We propose that AtRRP6L proteins participate in the maintenance of H3K27me3 at FLC via regulating ASL. Furthermore, AtRRP6Ls might participate in multiple FLC silencing pathways by regulating diverse antisense RNAs derived from the FLC locus.

Gene activation and cell fate control in plants: a chromatin perspective

In plants, environment-adaptable organogenesis extends throughout the lifespan, and iterative development requires repetitive rounds of activation and repression of several sets of genes. Eukaryotic genome compaction into chromatin forms a physical barrier for transcription; therefore, induction of gene expression requires alteration in chromatin structure. One of the present great challenges in molecular and developmental biology is to understand how chromatin is brought from a repressive to permissive state on specific loci and in a very specific cluster of cells, as well as how this state is further maintained and propagated through time and cell division in a cell lineage. In this review, we report recent discoveries implementing our knowledge on chromatin dynamics that modulate developmental gene expression. We also discuss how new data sets highlight plant specificities, likely reflecting requirement for a highly dynamic chromatin.

Chromatin meets the cell cycle

The cell cycle is one of the most comprehensively studied biological processes, due primarily to its significance in growth and development, and its deregulation in many human disorders. Studies using a diverse set of model organisms, including yeast, worms, flies, frogs, mammals, and plants, have greatly expanded our knowledge of the cell cycle and have contributed to the universally accepted view of how the basic cell cycle machinery is regulated. In addition to the oscillating activity of various cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-cyclin complexes, a plethora of proteins affecting various aspects of chromatin dynamics has been shown to be essential for cell proliferation during plant development. Furthermore, it was reported recently that core cell cycle regulators control gene expression by modifying histone patterns. This review focuses on the intimate relationship between the cell cycle and chromatin. It describes the dynamics and functions of chromatin structures throughout cell cycle progression and discusses the role of heterochromatin as a barrier against re-replication and endoreduplication. It also proposes that core plant cell cycle regulators control gene expression in a manner similar to that described in mammals. At present, our challenge in plants is to define the complete set of effectors and actors that coordinate cell cycle progression and chromatin structure and to understand better the functional interplay between these two processes.

Arabidopsis RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED and Polycomb group proteins: cooperation during plant cell differentiation and development

RETINOBLASTOMA (RB) is a tumour suppressor gene originally discovered in patients that develop eye tumours. The pRb protein is now well established as a key cell-cycle regulator which suppresses G1-S transition via interaction with E2F-DP complexes. pRb function is also required for a wide range of biological processes, including the regulation of stem-cell maintenance, cell differentiation, permanent cell-cycle exit, DNA repair, and genome stability. Such multifunctionality of pRb is thought to be facilitated through interactions with various binding partners in a context-dependent manner. Although the molecular network in which RB controls various biological processes is not fully understood, it has been found that pRb interacts with transcription factors and chromatin modifiers to either suppress or promote the expression of key genes during the switch from cell proliferation to differentiation. RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED (RBR) is the plant orthologue of RB and is also known to negatively control the G1-S transition. Similar to its animal counterpart, plant RBR has various roles throughout plant development; however, much of its molecular functions outside of the G1-S transition are still unknown. One of the better-characterized molecular mechanisms is the cooperation of RBR with the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) during plant-specific developmental events. This review summarizes the current understanding of this cooperation and focuses on the processes in Arabidopsis in which the RBR-PRC2 cooperation facilitates cell differentiation and developmental transitions.

Variations on a theme: Polycomb group proteins in plants

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins evolved early in evolution, probably in the common ancestor of animals and plants. In some unicellular organisms, such as Chlamydomonas and Tetrahymena, PcG proteins silence genes in heterochromatin, suggesting an ancestral function in genome defence. In angiosperms, the PcG system controls many developmental transitions. A PcG function in the vernalization response evolved especially in Brassicaceaea. Thus, the role of PcG proteins has changed during evolution to match novel needs. Recent studies identified many proteins associated with plant PcG protein complexes. Possible functions of these interactions are discussed here. We highlight recent findings about recruitment of PcG proteins in plants in comparison with animal system. Through the new data, a picture emerges in which PcG protein complexes do not function in sequential linear pathways but as dynamically interacting networks allowing stabilizing feedback loops. We discuss how the interplay between different PcG protein complexes can enable establishment, maintenance, and epigenetic inheritance of H3K27me3.

Arabidopsis replacement histone variant H3.3 occupies promoters of regulated genes

Background

Histone variants establish structural and functional diversity of chromatin by affecting nucleosome stability and histone-protein interactions. H3.3 is an H3 histone variant that is incorporated into chromatin outside of S-phase in various eukaryotes. In animals, H3.3 is associated with active transcription and possibly maintenance of transcriptional memory. Plant H3 variants, which evolved independently of their animal counterparts, are much less well understood.

Results

We profile the H3.3 distribution in Arabidopsis at mono-nucleosomal resolution using native chromatin immunoprecipitation. This results in the precise mapping of H3.3-containing nucleosomes, which are not only enriched in gene bodies as previously reported, but also at a subset of promoter regions and downstream of the 3′ ends of active genes. While H3.3 presence within transcribed regions is strongly associated with transcriptional activity, H3.3 at promoters is often independent of transcription. In particular, promoters with GA motifs carry H3.3 regardless of the gene expression levels. H3.3 on promoters of inactive genes is associated with H3K27me3 at gene bodies. In addition, H3.3-enriched plant promoters often contain RNA Pol II considerably upstream of the transcriptional start site. H3.3 and RNA Pol II are found on active as well as on inactive promoters and are enriched at strongly regulated genes.

Conclusions

In animals and plants, H3.3 organizes chromatin in transcribed regions and in promoters. The results suggest a function of H3.3 in transcriptional regulation and support a model that a single ancestral H3 evolved into H3 variants with similar sub-functionalization patterns in plants and animals.

PRC1 marks the difference in plant PcG repression

From mammals to plants, the Polycomb Group (PcG) machinery plays a crucial role in maintaining the repression of genes that are not required in a specific differentiation status. However, the mechanism by which PcG machinery mediates gene repression is still largely unknown in plants. Compared to animals, few PcG proteins have been identified in plants, not only because just some of these proteins are clearly conserved to their animal counterparts, but also because some PcG functions are carried out by plant-specific proteins, most of them as yet uncharacterized. For a long time, the apparent lack of Polycomb Repressive Complex (PRC)1 components in plants was interpreted according to the idea that plants, as sessile organisms, do not need a long-term repression, as they must be able to respond rapidly to environmental signals; however, some PRC1 components have been recently identified, indicating that this may not be the case. Furthermore, new data regarding the recruitment of PcG complexes and maintenance of PcG repression in plants have revealed important differences to what has been reported so far. This review highlights recent progress in plant PcG function, focusing on the role of the putative PRC1 components.

The putative PRC1 RING-finger protein AtRING1A regulates flowering through repressing MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING genes in Arabidopsis

Polycomb group proteins play essential roles in the epigenetic control of gene expression in plants and animals. Although some components of Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1)-like complexes have recently been reported in the model plant Arabidopsis, how they contribute to gene repression remains largely unknown. Here we show that a putative PRC1 RING-finger protein, AtRING1A, plays a hitherto unknown role in mediating the transition from vegetative to reproductive development in Arabidopsis. Loss of function of AtRING1A results in the late-flowering phenotype, which is attributed to derepression of two floral repressors, MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING 4/5 (MAF4/5), which in turn downregulate two floral pathway integrators, FLOWERING LOCUS T and SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1. Levels of the H3K27me3 repressive mark at MAF4 and MAF5 loci, which is deposited by CURLY LEAF (CLF)-containing PRC2-like complexes and bound by LIKE HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1), are affected by AtRING1A, which interacts with both CLF and LHP1. Levels of the H3K4me3 activation mark correlate inversely with H3K27me3 levels at MAF4 and MAF5 loci. Our results suggest that AtRING1A suppresses the expression of MAF4 and MAF5 through affecting H3K27me3 levels at these loci to regulate the floral transition in Arabidopsis.

HP1a: a structural chromosomal protein regulating transcription

Heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1a in Drosophila) is a conserved eukaryotic chromosomal protein that is prominently associated with pericentric heterochromatin and mediates the concomitant gene silencing. Mechanistic studies implicate HP1 family proteins as 'hub proteins,' able to interact with a variety of chromosomal proteins through the chromo-shadow domain (CSD), as well as to recognize key histone modification sites [primarily histone H3 di/trimethyl Lys9 (H3K9me2/3)] through the chromodomain (CD). Consequently, HP1 has many important roles in chromatin architecture and impacts both gene expression and gene silencing, utilizing a variety of mechanisms. Clearly, HP1 function is altered by context, and potentially by post-translational modifications (PTMs). Here, we report on recent ideas as to how this versatile protein accomplishes its diverse functions.

Arabidopsis AL PHD-PRC1 complexes promote seed germination through H3K4me3-to-H3K27me3 chromatin state switch in repression of seed developmental genes

Seed germination and subsequent seedling growth define crucial steps for entry into the plant life cycle. For those events to take place properly, seed developmental genes need to be silenced whereas vegetative growth genes are activated. Chromatin structure is generally known to play crucial roles in gene transcription control. However, the transition between active and repressive chromatin states during seed germination is still poorly characterized and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here we identified the Arabidopsis PHD-domain H3K4me3-binding ALFIN1-like proteins (ALs) as novel interactors of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) core components AtBMI1b and AtRING1a. The interactions were confirmed by diverse in vitro and in vivo assays and were shown to require the AL6 N-terminus containing PAL domain conserved in the AL family proteins and the AtRING1a C-terminus containing RAWUL domain conserved in animal and plant PRC1 ring-finger proteins (including AtRNIG1a/b and AtBMI1a/b). By T-DNA insertion mutant analysis, we found that simultaneous loss of AL6 and AL7 as well as loss of AtBMI1a and AtBMI1b retards seed germination and causes transcriptional derepression and a delayed chromatin state switch from H3K4me3 to H3K27me3 enrichment of several seed developmental genes (e.g. ABI3, DOG1, CRU3, CHO1). We found that AL6 and the PRC1 H3K27me3-reader component LHP1 directly bind at ABI3 and DOG1 loci. In light of these data, we propose that AL PHD-PRC1 complexes, built around H3K4me3, lead to a switch from the H3K4me3-associated active to the H3K27me3-associated repressive transcription state of seed developmental genes during seed germination. Our finding of physical interactions between PHD-domain proteins and PRC1 is striking and has important implications for understanding the connection between the two functionally opposite chromatin marks: H3K4me3 in activation and H3K27me3 in repression of gene transcription.

Arabidopsis MSI1 functions in photoperiodic flowering time control

Appropriate timing of flowering is crucial for crop yield and the reproductive success of plants. Flowering can be induced by a number of molecular pathways that respond to internal and external signals such as photoperiod, vernalization or light quality, ambient temperature and biotic as well as abiotic stresses. The key florigenic signal FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) is regulated by several flowering activators, such as CONSTANS (CO), and repressors, such as FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). Chromatin modifications are essential for regulated gene expression, which often involves the well conserved MULTICOPY SUPRESSOR OF IRA 1 (MSI1)-like protein family. MSI1-like proteins are ubiquitous partners of various complexes, such as POLYCOMB REPRESSIVE COMPLEX2 or CHROMATIN ASSEMBLY FACTOR 1. In Arabidopsis, one of the functions of MSI1 is to control the switch to flowering. Arabidopsis MSI1 is needed for the correct expression of the floral integrator gene SUPPRESSOR OF CO 1 (SOC1). Here, we show that the histone-binding protein MSI1 acts in the photoperiod pathway to regulate normal expression of CO in long day (LD) photoperiods. Reduced expression of CO in msi1-mutants leads to failure of FT and SOC1 activation and to delayed flowering. MSI1 is needed for normal sensitivity of Arabidopsis to photoperiod, because msi1-mutants responded less than wild type to an intermittent LD treatment of plants grown in short days. Finally, genetic analysis demonstrated that MSI1 acts upstream of the CO-FT pathway to enable an efficient photoperiodic response and to induce flowering.

Dynamic regulation and function of histone monoubiquitination in plants

Polyubiquitin chain deposition on a target protein frequently leads to proteasome-mediated degradation whereas monoubiquitination modifies target protein property and function independent of proteolysis. Histone monoubiquitination occurs in chromatin and is in nowadays recognized as one critical type of epigenetic marks in eukaryotes. While H2A monoubiquitination (H2Aub1) is generally associated with transcription repression mediated by the Polycomb pathway, H2Bub1 is involved in transcription activation. H2Aub1 and H2Bub1 levels are dynamically regulated via deposition and removal by specific enzymes. We review knows and unknowns of dynamic regulation of H2Aub1 and H2Bub1 deposition and removal in plants and highlight the underlying crucial functions in gene transcription, cell proliferation/differentiation, and plant growth and development. We also discuss crosstalks existing between H2Aub1 or H2Bub1 and different histone methylations for an ample mechanistic understanding.

Mechanisms guiding Polycomb activities during gene silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins act in an evolutionarily conserved epigenetic pathway that regulates chromatin structures in plants and animals, repressing many developmentally important genes by modifying histones. PcG proteins can form at least two multiprotein complexes: Polycomb Repressive Complexes 1 and 2 (PRC1 and PRC2, respectively). The functions of Arabidopsis thaliana PRCs have been characterized in multiple stages of development and have diverse roles in response to environmental stimuli. Recently, the mechanism that precisely regulates Arabidopsis PcG activity was extensively studied. In this review, we summarize recent discoveries in the regulations of PcG at the three different layers: the recruitment of PRCs to specific target loci, the polyubiquitination and degradation of PRC2, and the antagonism of PRC2 activity by the Trithorax group proteins. Current knowledge indicates that the powerful activity of the PcG pathway is strictly controlled for specific silencing of target genes during plant development and in response to environmental stimuli.

Arabidopsis Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 binding sites contain putative GAGA factor binding motifs within coding regions of genes

BACKGROUND

Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) is an essential regulator of gene expression that maintains genes in a repressed state by marking chromatin with trimethylated Histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3). In Arabidopsis, loss of PRC2 function leads to pleiotropic effects on growth and development thought to be due to ectopic expression of seed and embryo-specific genes. While there is some understanding of the mechanisms by which specific genes are targeted by PRC2 in animal systems, it is still not clear how PRC2 is recruited to specific regions of plant genomes.

RESULTS

We used ChIP-seq to determine the genome-wide distribution of hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged FERTLIZATION INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM (FIE-HA), the Extra Sex Combs homolog protein present in all Arabidopsis PRC2 complexes. We found that the FIE-HA binding sites co-locate with a subset of the H3K27me3 sites in the genome and that the associated genes were more likely to be de-repressed in mutants of PRC2 components. The FIE-HA binding sites are enriched for three sequence motifs including a putative GAGA factor binding site that is also found in Drosophila Polycomb Response Elements (PREs).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that PRC2 binding sites in plant genomes share some sequence features with Drosophila PREs. However, unlike Drosophila PREs which are located in promoters and devoid of H3K27me3, Arabidopsis FIE binding sites tend to be in gene coding regions and co-localize with H3K27me3.