PICKLE acts during germination to repress expression of embryonic traits.
PICKLE (PKL) codes for a CHD3 chromatin remodeling factor that plays multiple roles in Arabidopsis growth and development. Previous analysis of the expression of genes that exhibit PKL-dependent regulation suggested that PKL acts during germination to repress expression of embryonic traits. In this study, we examined the expression of PKL protein to investigate when and where PKL acts to regulate development. A PKL:eGFP translational fusion is preferentially localized in the nucleus of cells, consistent with the proposed role for PKL as a chromatin remodeling factor. A steroid-inducible version of PKL [a fusion of PKL to the glucocorticoid receptor (PKL:GR)] was used to examine when PKL acts to repress expression of embryonic traits. We found that activation of PKL:GR during germination was sufficient to repress expression of embryonic traits in the primary roots of pkl seedlings, whereas activation of PKL:GR after germination had little effect. In contrast, we observed that PKL is required continuously after germination to repress expression of PHERES1, a type I MADS box gene that is normally expressed during early embryogenesis in wild-type plants. Thus, PKL acts at multiple points during development to regulate patterns of gene expression in Arabidopsis.
Li
Hui-Chun
HC
Department of Biochemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2063, USA.
Chuang
King
K
Henderson
James T
JT
Rider
Stanley Dean
SD
Bai
Yinglin
Y
Zhang
Heng
H
Fountain
Matthew
M
Gerber
Jacob
J
Ogas
Joe
J
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004265:DNA Helicases; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018525:Germination / Q000235:genetics*; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000378:metabolism; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012639:Seeds / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; C113191:LEC1 protein, Arabidopsis; D026161:MADS Domain Proteins; C475745:PHERES1 protein, Arabidopsis; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C402442:AT2G25170 protein, Arabidopsis; D004265:DNA Helicases