The age-dependent epigenetic and physiological changes in an Arabidopsis T87 cell suspension culture during long-term cultivation.
Plant cell suspension cultures represent good model systems applicable for both basic research and biotechnological purposes. Nevertheless, it is widely known that a prolonged in vitro cultivation of plant cells is associated with genetic and epigenetic instabilities, which may limit the usefulness of plant lines. In this study, the age-dependent epigenetic and physiological changes in an asynchronous Arabidopsis T87 cell culture were examined. A prolonged cultivation period was found to be correlated with a decrease in the proliferation rate and a simultaneous increase in the expression of senescence-associated genes, indicating that the aging process started at the late growth phase of the culture. In addition, increases in the heterochromatin-specific epigenetic markers, i.e., global DNA methylation, H3K9 dimethylation, and H3K27 trimethylation, were observed, suggesting the onset of chromatin condensation, a hallmark of the early stages of plant senescence. Although the number of live cells decreased with an increase in the age of the culture, the remaining viable cells retained a high potential to efficiently perform photosynthesis and did not exhibit any symptoms of photosystem II damage.
Department of Botany, University of Rzeszow, Kolbuszowa, Poland. Electronic address: A.Kwiatkows@gmail.com.
Aleksandra
A
Kwiatkowska
Department of Plant Physiology, University of Rzeszow, Kolbuszowa, Poland.
Jacek
J
Zebrowski
Department of Genetics, University of Rzeszow, Kolbuszowa, Poland.
Bernadetta
B
Oklejewicz
Department of Botany, University of Rzeszow, Kolbuszowa, Poland.
Justyna
J
Czarnik
Department of Plant Physiology, University of Rzeszow, Kolbuszowa, Poland.
Joanna
J
Halibart-Puzio
Department of Genetics, University of Rzeszow, Kolbuszowa, Poland.
Maciej
M
Wnuk
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000032:analysis; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005453:Fluorescence; D015870:Gene Expression; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D013535:Suspensions; D013997:Time Factors
D006570:Heterochromatin; D013535:Suspensions; D002734:Chlorophyll; D000077194:Chlorophyll A
Aging; Arabidopsis thaliana cell suspension culture; Epigenetics; Methylation; Photosystem II; T87