title: ABA treatment of germinating maize seeds induces VP1 gene expression and selective promoter-associated histone acetylation.
abstract: Seed germination commences from a low metabolic state to a bioactive state and is associated with changes in the pattern of gene expression. Recent studies have revealed that epigenetic processes are involved in abscisic acid (ABA)-regulated seed germination processes. In this study, we showed that the expression of both histone acetyltransferases (HATs) and histone deacetylases (HDACs) was increased gradually during seed germination accompanying an increase in overall acetylation level of histone H3. Application of exogenous ABA repressed the expression of HATs as well as HDACs and delayed histone acetylation. Suppressing HDAC by treatment with an HDAC inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA), led to an increase in global histone acetylation and inhibited seed germination and growth. However, ABA and TSA both delayed the downregulation of the embryogenesis-related gene viviparous1 (VP1) during seed germination. The further chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments showed that the promoter region of the VP1 gene was deacetylated during seed germination, and this deacetylation event was inhibited by both ABA and TSA. These results suggested that a balance of the two enzymes HATs and HDACs affected the acetylation status of the VP1 gene and ABA selectively activated its transcription by an accumulation of acetylated histone H3 associated with the promoter region during seed germination.
authors.affiliation: State key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhengming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Shihan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shibin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lijia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000040:Abscisic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000107:Acetylation; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D017343:Genes, Plant / Q000187:drug effects*; D018525:Germination / Q000187:drug effects; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism; D006655:Histone Deacetylases / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology; D012639:Seeds / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D003313:Zea mays / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D006877:Hydroxamic Acids; C012589:trichostatin A; D000040:Abscisic Acid; D051548:Histone Acetyltransferases; D006655:Histone Deacetylases