EFFECTOR OF TRANSCRIPTION factors are novel plant‐specific regulators associated with genomic DNA methylation in Arabidopsis

First author: Francesca Tedeschi; Affiliations: Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (莱布尼茨植物遗传与作物研究所): Gatersleben, Germany

Corresponding author: Markus Kuhlmann

Plant‐specific EFFECTORS OF TRANSCRIPTION (ET) are characterised by a variable number of highly conserved ET repeats, which are involved in zinc and DNA binding. In addition, ETs share a GIY‐YIG domain, involved in DNA nicking activity. It was hypothesised that ETs might act as epigenetic regulators. Here, methylome, transcriptome and phenotypic analyses were performed to investigate the role of ET factors and their involvement in DNA methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana. Comparative DNA methylation and transcriptome analyses in flowers and seedlings of etmutants revealed ET‐specific differentially expressed genes and mostly independently characteristic, ET‐specific differentially methylated regions. Loss of ET function results in pleiotropic developmental defects. The accumulation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers after ultraviolet stress in et mutants suggests an ET function in DNA repair.

植物特异性的ET蛋白具有不同数量的高度保守的ET重复序列，参与锌和DNA的结合。另外，ET蛋白具有一个GIY‐YIG结构域，参与DNA剪切活性。有研究认为ET蛋白可能作为表观调控子发挥作用。本文中，作者通过甲基化组、转录组和表型分析研究了拟南芥ET因子的作用，以及其在DNA甲基化中的作用。通过比较et突变体花和幼苗中的DNA甲基化和转录组分析揭示ET特异性差异表达的基因，以及ET特异性差异甲基化的区域。ET的功能缺失突变体导致了各种发育的缺陷。在紫外胁迫后，et突变体植株中环丁烷嘧啶二聚体的积累说明ET可能还作用于DNA修复。

doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15439

Journal: New Phytologist

First Published: 25 September, 2018