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Poza-Viejo L, Payá-Milans M, Wilkinson MD, Piñeiro M, Jarillo JA, Crevillén P. Brassica rapa CURLY LEAF is a major H3K27 methyltransferase regulating flowering time. PLANTA 2024; 260:27. [PMID: 38865018 PMCID: PMC11169032 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-024-04454-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024]
Abstract
MAIN CONCLUSION In Brassica rapa, the epigenetic modifier BraA.CLF orchestrates flowering by modulating H3K27me3 levels at the floral integrator genes FT, SOC1, and SEP3, thereby influencing their expression. CURLY LEAF (CLF) is the catalytic subunit of the plant Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 that mediates the trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3), an epigenetic modification that leads to gene silencing. While the function of CURLY LEAF (CLF) has been extensively studied in Arabidopsis thaliana, its role in Brassica crops is barely known. In this study, we focused on the Brassica rapa homolog of CLF and found that the loss-of-function mutant braA.clf-1 exhibits an accelerated flowering together with pleiotropic phenotypic alterations compared to wild-type plants. In addition, we carried out transcriptomic and H3K27me3 genome-wide analyses to identify the genes regulated by BraA.CLF. Interestingly, we observed that several floral regulatory genes, including the B. rapa homologs of FT, SOC1 and SEP3, show reduced H3K27me3 levels and increased transcript levels compared to wild-type plants, suggesting that they are direct targets of BraA.CLF and key players in regulating flowering time in this crop. In addition, the results obtained will enhance our understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms regulating key developmental traits and will aid to increase crop yield by engineering new Brassica varieties with different flowering time requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Poza-Viejo
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miriam Payá-Milans
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), FPS, Hospital Virgen del Rocío, Seville, Spain
| | - Mark D Wilkinson
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Piñeiro
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - José A Jarillo
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Crevillén
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA/CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain.
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Maple R, Zhu P, Hepworth J, Wang JW, Dean C. Flowering time: From physiology, through genetics to mechanism. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:190-212. [PMID: 38417841 PMCID: PMC11060688 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Plant species have evolved different requirements for environmental/endogenous cues to induce flowering. Originally, these varying requirements were thought to reflect the action of different molecular mechanisms. Thinking changed when genetic and molecular analysis in Arabidopsis thaliana revealed that a network of environmental and endogenous signaling input pathways converge to regulate a common set of "floral pathway integrators." Variation in the predominance of the different input pathways within a network can generate the diversity of requirements observed in different species. Many genes identified by flowering time mutants were found to encode general developmental and gene regulators, with their targets having a specific flowering function. Studies of natural variation in flowering were more successful at identifying genes acting as nodes in the network central to adaptation and domestication. Attention has now turned to mechanistic dissection of flowering time gene function and how that has changed during adaptation. This will inform breeding strategies for climate-proof crops and help define which genes act as critical flowering nodes in many other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Maple
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Pan Zhu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Jo Hepworth
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Jia-Wei Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics (NKLPMG), CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS), Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology (SIPPE), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shanghai 200032, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Shanghai Tech University, Shanghai 201210, China
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Caroline Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
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Jones DM, Hepworth J, Wells R, Pullen N, Trick M, Morris RJ. A transcriptomic time-series reveals differing trajectories during pre-floral development in the apex and leaf in winter and spring varieties of Brassica napus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3538. [PMID: 38347020 PMCID: PMC10861513 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53526-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) is an important global oil crop, with spring and winter varieties grown commercially. To understand the transcriptomic differences between these varieties, we collected transcriptomes from apex and leaf tissue from a spring variety, Westar, and a winter variety, Tapidor, before, during, and after vernalisation treatment, until the plants flowered. Large transcriptomic differences were noted in both varieties during the vernalisation treatment because of temperature and day length changes. Transcriptomic alignment revealed that the apex transcriptome reflects developmental state, whereas the leaf transcriptome is more closely aligned to the age of the plant. Similar numbers of copies of genes were expressed in both varieties during the time series, although key flowering time genes exhibited expression pattern differences. BnaFLC copies on A2 and A10 are the best candidates for the increased vernalisation requirement of Tapidor. Other BnaFLC copies show tissue-dependent reactivation of expression post-cold, with these dynamics suggesting some copies have retained or acquired a perennial nature. BnaSOC1 genes, also related to the vernalisation pathway, have expression profiles which suggest tissue subfunctionalisation. This understanding may help to breed varieties with more consistent or robust vernalisation responses, of special importance due to the milder winters resulting from climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Marc Jones
- Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK.
- Synthace, The WestWorks, 195 Wood Lane, 4th Floor, London, W12 7FQ, UK.
| | - Jo Hepworth
- Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, Stockton Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Rachel Wells
- Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Nick Pullen
- Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Martin Trick
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Richard J Morris
- Crop Genetics, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
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Hamant O. The 1972 Meadows report: A wake-up call for plant science. QUANTITATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY 2023; 4:e3. [PMID: 37077701 PMCID: PMC10095848 DOI: 10.1017/qpb.2023.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The 1972 Meadows report, 'the limits to growth', predicted a global socio-economic tipping point during the twenty-first century. Now supported by 50 years of empirical evidence, this work is a tribute to systems thinking and an invitation to take the current environmental crisis for what it is: neither a transition nor a bifurcation, but an inversion. For instance, we used matter (e.g., fossil fuel) to save time; we will use time to preserve matter (e.g., bioeconomy). We were exploiting ecosystems to fuel production; production will feed ecosystems. We centralised to optimise; we will decentralise to support resilience. In plant science, this new context calls for new research on plant complexity (e.g., multiscale robustness and benefits of variability), also extending to new scientific approaches (e.g., participatory research, art and science). Taking this turn reverses many paradigms and becomes a new responsibility for plant scientists as the world becomes increasingly turbulent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Hamant
- Laboratoire de Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon, UCBL, INRAE, CNRS, Lyon, France
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Poza-Viejo L, Payá-Milans M, San Martín-Uriz P, Castro-Labrador L, Lara-Astiaso D, Wilkinson MD, Piñeiro M, Jarillo JA, Crevillén P. Conserved and distinct roles of H3K27me3 demethylases regulating flowering time in Brassica rapa. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:1428-1441. [PMID: 35037269 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation is necessary for optimal organism development and preservation of gene expression profiles in the cell. In plants, the trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) is a silencing epigenetic mark relevant for developmental transitions like flowering. The floral transition is a key agronomic trait; however, the epigenetic mechanisms of flowering time regulation in crops remain poorly understood. Here we study the Jumonji H3K27me3 demethylases BraA.REF6 and BraA.ELF6 in Brassica rapa. Phenotypic characterization of novel mutant lines and genome-wide H3K27me3 chromatin immunoprecipitation and transcriptomic analyses indicated that BraA.REF6 plays a greater role than BraA.ELF6 in fine-tuning H3K27me3 levels. In addition, we found that braA.elf6 mutants were early flowering due to high H3K27me3 levels at B. rapa homologs of the floral repressor FLC. Unlike mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana, braA.ref6 mutants were late flowering without altering the expression of B. rapa FLC genes. Remarkably, we found that BraA.REF6 regulated a number of gibberellic acid (GA) biosynthetic genes, including a homolog of GA1, and that GA-treatment complemented the late flowering mutant phenotype. This study increases our understanding of the epigenetic regulation of flowering time in B. rapa, highlighting conserved and distinct regulatory mechanisms between model and crop species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Poza-Viejo
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miriam Payá-Milans
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Patxi San Martín-Uriz
- Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Laura Castro-Labrador
- Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - David Lara-Astiaso
- Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada (CIMA), Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain
| | - Mark D Wilkinson
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manuel Piñeiro
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - José A Jarillo
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pedro Crevillén
- Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA-CSIC), Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
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