title: Involvement of DNA methylation in the control of cell growth during heat stress in tobacco BY-2 cells.
abstract: The alteration of growth patterns, through the adjustment of cell division and expansion, is a characteristic response of plants to environmental stress. In order to study this response in more depth, the effect of heat stress on growth was investigated in tobacco BY-2 cells. The results indicate that heat stress inhibited cell division, by slowing cell cycle progression. Cells were stopped in the pre-mitotic phases, as shown by the increased expression of CycD3-1 and by the decrease in the NtCycA13, NtCyc29 and CDKB1-1 transcripts. The decrease in cell length and the reduced expression of Nt-EXPA5 indicated that cell expansion was also inhibited. Since DNA methylation plays a key role in controlling gene expression, the possibility that the altered expression of genes involved in the control of cell growth, observed during heat stress, could be due to changes in the methylation state of their promoters was investigated. The results show that the altered expression of CycD3-1 and Nt-EXPA5 was consistent with changes in the methylation state of the upstream region of these genes. These results suggest that DNA methylation, controlling the expression of genes involved in plant development, contributes to growth alteration occurring in response to environmental changes.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Centomani
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sgobba
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Addabbo
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Nunzio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dipierro
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Paradiso
authors.affiliation: Centro Integrato di Ricerca, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, via A. del Portillo 21, 00128, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Gara
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dipierro
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Viggiano
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy. mariaconcetta.depinto@uniba.it.|Istituto di Bioscienze e Biorisorse, CNR, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126, Bari, Italy. mariaconcetta.depinto@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Maria Concetta
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: de Pinto
mesh_terms: D059447:Cell Cycle Checkpoints; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018869:Heat-Shock Response; D006358:Hot Temperature; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D013997:Time Factors; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D018744:DNA, Plant; D010940:Plant Proteins
keywords: Cell cycle; Cell division; Cell expansion; DNA methylation; Heat stress; Tobacco BY-2 cells