title: Signal integration on plant promoters: a case study in maize.
abstract: Gene promoters perceive numerous signals and integrate this information into a single response, the transcriptional activity of a gene. It was speculated that covalent modification of histones on the promoters might have an important function in storage and integration of signals. Using the genes for the core proteins of C4 metabolism in maize as a model, we associated the perception of specific signals with the establishment of individual histone modifications. Core elements of the histone code defined in these studies are conserved on all C4 genes and on other maize genes that respond to similar stimuli. Moreover, the code is used in independent C4 lineages. However, our data also advise caution because interpretation of histone modifications might differ dependent on the promoter position of the modification. The model provided here constitutes a starting point for genome-wide decoding of stimulus-modification pairs in epigenetic gene regulation.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz University Hannover; Institute of Botany; Hannover, Germany; These authors contributed equally to this work.
authors.forename: Ina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Horst
authors.forename: Louisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Heimann
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peterhansel
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation / Q000528:radiation effects; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000528:radiation effects; D017343:Genes, Plant; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008027:Light; D008745:Methylation / Q000528:radiation effects; D010802:Phylogeny; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D006657:Histones
keywords: C4 photosynthesis; Setaria italica; Sorghum bicolor; Zea mays; histone code; histone modification; signal integration