A Mutation in Plant-Specific SWI2/SNF2-Like Chromatin-Remodeling Proteins, DRD1 and DDM1, Delays Leaf Senescence in Arabidopsis thaliana

PLoS One. 2016 Jan 11;11(1):e0146826. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146826. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Leaf senescence is a finely regulated complex process; however, evidence for the involvement of epigenetic processes in the regulation of leaf senescence is still fragmentary. Therefore, we chose to examine the functions of DRD1, a SWI2/SNF2 chromatin remodeling protein, in epigenetic regulation of leaf senescence, particularly because drd1-6 mutants exhibited a delayed leaf senescence phenotype. Photosynthetic parameters such as Fv/Fm and ETRmax were decreased in WT leaves compared to leaves of drd1-6 mutants after dark treatment. The WT leaves remarkably lost more chlorophyll and protein content during dark-induced senescence (DIS) than the drd1-6 leaves did. The induction of senescence-associated genes was noticeably inhibited in the drd1-6 mutant after 5-d of DIS. We compared changes in epigenetic regulation during DIS via quantitative expression analysis of 180-bp centromeric (CEN) and transcriptionally silent information (TSI) repeats. Their expression levels significantly increased in both the WT and the drd1-6 mutant, but did much less in the latter. Moreover, the delayed leaf senescence was observed in ddm1-2 mutants as well as the drd1-6, but not in drd1-p mutants. These data suggest that SWI2/SNF2 chromatin remodeling proteins such as DRD1 and DDM1 may influence leaf senescence possibly via epigenetic regulation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Arabidopsis / genetics*
  • Arabidopsis / physiology
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics
  • Arabidopsis Proteins / physiology*
  • Centromere / ultrastructure
  • Chlorophyll / chemistry
  • Chromatin / metabolism
  • Cluster Analysis
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / physiology*
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / genetics
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / physiology*
  • Epigenesis, Genetic
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Genes, Plant
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Mutation
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Phenotype
  • Photosynthesis
  • Plant Leaves / physiology*
  • RNA / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / physiology*
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • Chromatin
  • DDM1 protein, Arabidopsis
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Chlorophyll
  • RNA
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases
  • DRD1 protein, Arabidopsis

Grants and funding

This research was supported by the Nuclear R & D Program of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST), Republic of Korea. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.