title: SET DOMAIN GROUP 708, a histone H3 lysine 36-specific methyltransferase, controls flowering time in rice (Oryza sativa).
abstract: As a key epigenetic modification, the methylation of histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36) modulates chromatin structure and is involved in diverse biological processes. To better understand the language of H3K36 methylation in rice (Oryza sativa), we chose potential histone methylation enzymes for functional exploration. In particular, we characterized rice SET DOMAIN GROUP 708 (SDG708) as an H3K36-specific methyltransferase possessing the ability to deposit up to three methyl groups on H3K36. Compared with the wild-type, SDG708-knockdown rice mutants displayed a late-flowering phenotype under both long-day and short-day conditions because of the down-regulation of the key flowering regulatory genes Heading date 3a (Hd3a), RICE FLOWERING LOCUS T1 (RFT1), and Early heading date 1 (Ehd1). Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments indicated that H3K36me1, H3K36me2, and H3K36me3 levels were reduced at these loci in SDG708-deficient plants. More importantly, SDG708 was able to directly target and effect H3K36 methylation on specific flowering genes. In fact, knockdown of SDG708 led to misexpression of a set of functional genes and a genome-wide decrease in H3K36me1/2/3 levels during the early growth stages of rice. SDG708 is a methyltransferase that catalyses genome-wide deposition of all three methyl groups on H3K36 and is involved in many biological processes in addition to flowering promotion.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, International Associated Laboratory of CNRS-Fudan-HUNAU on Plant Epigenome Research, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetics Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, International Associated Laboratory of CNRS-Fudan-HUNAU on Plant Epigenome Research, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Jinlei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, International Associated Laboratory of CNRS-Fudan-HUNAU on Plant Epigenome Research, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetics Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetics Engineering, MOE Key Laboratory of Contemporary Anthropology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, International Associated Laboratory of CNRS-Fudan-HUNAU on Plant Epigenome Research, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.|CNRS, Institut de Biologie Moleculaire des Plantes, Universite de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Wen-Hui
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, International Associated Laboratory of CNRS-Fudan-HUNAU on Plant Epigenome Research, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Genetics and Development, International Associated Laboratory of CNRS-Fudan-HUNAU on Plant Epigenome Research, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China.
authors.forename: Aiwu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation; D035264:Flowers / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017343:Genes, Plant; D000076983:Histone Methyltransferases; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D008745:Methylation; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012275:Oryza / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D010641:Phenotype; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D010940:Plant Proteins; D000076983:Histone Methyltransferases; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase
keywords: epigenome; flowering; histone H3 lysine 36 (H3K36); histone methyltransferase; rice (Oryza sativa); transcriptome