The AtMYB44 promoter is accessible to signals that induce different chromatin modifications for gene transcription

Methylation hallmarks on the histone tail as a linker of osmotic stress and gene transcription

Plants dynamically manipulate their gene expression in acclimation to the challenging environment. Hereinto, the histone methylation tunes the gene transcription via modulation of the chromatin accessibility to transcription machinery. Osmotic stress, which is caused by water deprivation or high concentration of ions, can trigger remarkable changes in histone methylation landscape and genome-wide reprogramming of transcription. However, the dynamic regulation of genes, especially how stress-inducible genes are timely epi-regulated by histone methylation remains largely unclear. In this review, recent findings on the interaction between histone (de)methylation and osmotic stress were summarized, with emphasis on the effects on histone methylation profiles imposed by stress and how histone methylation works to optimize the performance of plants under stress.

HbMYB44, a Rubber Tree MYB Transcription Factor With Versatile Functions in Modulating Multiple Phytohormone Signaling and Abiotic Stress Responses

The vital roles of R2R3-MYB transcription factors (TFs) in regulating stress response and phytohormone signaling have been thoroughly studied in numerous plant species, but the functions of these TFs in rubber tree are poorly understood. Rubber tree is the most important source of natural rubber but often suffers from various abiotic and biotic stresses that cause severe yield losses each year. In this study, we reported a novel MYB44 gene in rubber tree (named HbMYB44) and revealed its biological function. HbMYB44 was highly similar to AtMYB44 and clustered into subgroup 22. Transient expression indicated that HbMYB44 is a nuclear localized protein and displays transactivation activity at the C-terminus. HbMYB44 was ubiquitously expressed in rubber tree, and its expression was strongly induced by multiple phytohormones, drought stress, wounding, and H₂O₂ treatments. Furthermore, overexpression of HbMYB44 in Arabidopsis (OE) demonstrated that OE plants significantly enhanced stress tolerance, i.e., salt stress, osmotic stress, and drought stress. Additionally, HbMYB44 promoted recovery from root growth inhibition of OE plants caused by exogenous phytohormones (including abscisic acid, methyl jasmonic acid, gibberellic acid 3, and salicylic acid), but the opposite effect was present in response to ethephon. Interestingly, HbMYB44 increased the expression of its homologous genes and interacting protein-encoding genes in OE plants. Overall, HbMYB44 plays versatile functions in modulating multiple phytohormone signaling pathways and stress tolerance.

Evolution and functional diversification of R2R3-MYB transcription factors in plants

R2R3-MYB genes (R2R3-MYBs) form one of the largest transcription factor gene families in the plant kingdom, with substantial structural and functional diversity. However, the evolutionary processes leading to this amazing functional diversity have not yet been clearly established. Recently developed genomic and classical molecular technologies have provided detailed insights into the evolutionary relationships and functions of plant R2R3-MYBs. Here, we review recent genome-level and functional analyses of plant R2R3-MYBs, with an emphasis on their evolution and functional diversification. In land plants, this gene family underwent a large expansion by whole genome duplications and small-scale duplications. Along with this population explosion, a series of functionally conserved or lineage-specific subfamilies/groups arose with roles in three major plant-specific biological processes: development and cell differentiation, specialized metabolism, and biotic and abiotic stresses. The rapid expansion and functional diversification of plant R2R3-MYBs are highly consistent with the increasing complexity of angiosperms. In particular, recently derived R2R3-MYBs with three highly homologous intron patterns (a, b, and c) are disproportionately related to specialized metabolism and have become the predominant subfamilies in land plant genomes. The evolution of plant R2R3-MYBs is an active area of research, and further studies are expected to improve our understanding of the evolution and functional diversification of this gene family.

Leaf Transcriptome and Weight Gene Co-expression Network Analysis Uncovers Genes Associated with Photosynthetic Efficiency in Camellia oleifera

Camellia oleifera Abel. (C. oleifera) as an important economic tree species in China has drawn growing attention because of its highly commercial, medic, cosmetic, and ornamental value. To deepen our understanding about the photosynthetic characters during the whole developmental stage as well as the molecular basis of photosynthesis, a comparative analysis of the leaf transcriptome of two C. oleifera cultivars, 'Guoyou No.13' (GY13) and 'Xianglin No.82' (XL82), with different photosynthetic characteristics from May to September has been conducted. In this study, a group of genes related to photosynthesis, hormone regulation, circadian clock and transcription factor, involved in the photosynthetic advantage. Photosynthetic parameters from May to September of these two cultivars provided evidence supporting photosynthetic advantage of GY13 compared to XL82. In addition, expression levels of 12 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were validated using real-time PCR (RT-PCR). To screen gene clusters and hub genes that might directly regulated the photosynthetic differences between cultivars, a Weight Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) was conducted. Three co-expression network (module) and top ten connected genes (hub genes) were identified that might play crucial role in the regulatory network of photosynthesis. The results not only showed multiple functional genes that might involve in the differences of photosynthetic characteristics between cultivars, but also provide some evidences for the heat tolerance might be an important character which helps GY13 kept higher photosynthetic parameters than XL82 during the developmental stage. In summary, our transcriptomic approach together with RT-PCR tests allowed us to expand our understanding of the characters of C. oleifera cultivars with different photosynthetic efficiency during the developmental stage and to further exploring new candidate genes involve in high photosynthetic efficiency in molecular-assisted breeding program of C. oleifera.

Homeostasis of histone acetylation is critical for auxin signaling and root morphogenesis

The auxin signaling and root morphogenesis are harmoniously controlled by two counteracted teams including (1) auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (AUX/IAA)-histone deacetylase (HDA) and (2) auxin response factor (ARF)-histone acetyltransferase (HAT). The involvement of histone acetylation in the regulation of transcription was firstly reported a few decades ago. In planta, auxin is the first hormone group that was discovered and it is also the most studied phytohormone. Current studies have elucidated the functions of histone acetylation in the modulation of auxin signaling as well as in the regulation of root morphogenesis under both normal and stress conditions. Based on the recent outcomes, this review is to provide a hierarchical view about the functions of histone acetylation in auxin signaling and root morphogenesis. In this report, we suggest that the auxin signaling must be controlled harmoniously by two counteracted teams including (1) auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (AUX/IAA)-histone deacetylase (HDA) and (2) auxin response factor (ARF)-histone acetyltransferase (HAT). Moreover, the balance in auxin signaling is very critical to contribute to normal root morphogenesis.

Chromatin remodeling for the transcription of type 2C protein phosphatase genes in response to salt stress

Type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs) counteract protein kinases, thereby inhibiting the abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated response to abiotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. In the absence of stress, the promoters of PP2C genes (e.g., ABI1, ABI2, and HAI1) are negatively regulated by repressors that suppress gene transcription in a signal-independent manner. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays revealed that the levels of PP2C gene transcripts and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) that stalled at the transcription start sites (TSS) of PP2C gene loci were increased under salt stress. The salt-induced increases in RNA polymerase-mediated transcription were reduced in 35S:AtMYB44 plants, confirming that AtMYB44 acts as a repressor of PP2C gene transcription. ChIP assays revealed that AtMYB44 repressors are released and nucleosomes are evicted from the promoter regions in response to salt stress. Under these conditions, histone H3 acetylation (H3ac) and methylation (H3K4me3) around the TSS regions significantly increased. The salt-induced increases in PP2C gene transcription were reduced in abf3 plants, indicating that ABF3 activates PP2C gene transcription. Overall, our data indicate that salt stress converts PP2C gene chromatin from a repressor-associated suppression status to an activator-mediated transcription status. In addition, we observed that the Arabidopsis mutant brm-3, which is moderately defective in SWI2/SNF2 chromatin remodeling ATPase BRAHMA (BRM) activity, produced more PP2C gene transcripts under salt stress conditions, indicating that BRM ATPase contributes to the repression of PP2C gene transcription.

AtMYB44 interacts with TOPLESS-RELATED corepressors to suppress protein phosphatase 2C gene transcription

AtMYB44 has been described in diverse hormonal signaling processes including abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated tolerance to abiotic stress; however, its function as a transcription factor is controversial. AtMYB44 contains the amino acid sequence LSLSL, a putative ETHYLENE-RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING FACTOR-ASSOCIATED AMPHIPHILIC REPRESSION (EAR) motif. In yeast two-hybrid assay, physical interaction between AtMYB44 and a TOPLESS-RELATED (TPR) corepressor was observed, but abolished by mutation of the EAR motif. We performed bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay to confirm their interaction in planta. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed binding of AtMYB44 to the promoter regions of clade A protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) genes (e.g., ABI1, ABI2, and HAI1), implying putative targets. Levels of histone H3 acetylation around the promoter regions were markedly lower in AtMYB44-overexpressing (35S:AtMYB44) plants than in wild-type plants. These results suggest that AtMYB44 forms a complex with TPR corepressors and recruits histone deacetylase(s) to suppress PP2C gene transcription in a signal-independent manner.