Abscisic acid negatively regulates the Polycomb-mediated H3K27me3 through the PHD-finger protein, VIL1

New Phytol. 2022 Aug;235(3):1057-1069. doi: 10.1111/nph.18156. Epub 2022 Apr 28.

Abstract

Polycomb dictates developmental programs in higher eukaryotes, including flowering plants. A phytohormone, abscisic acid (ABA), plays a pivotal role in seed and seedling development and mediates responses to multiple environmental stresses, such as salinity and drought. In this study, we show that ABA affects the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2)-mediated Histone H3 Lys 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) through VIN3-LIKE1/VERNALIZATION 5 (VIL1/VRN5) to fine-tune the timely repression of ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3) and ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 4 (ABI4) in Arabidopsis thaliana. vil1 mutants exhibit hypersensitivity to ABA during early seed germination and show enhanced drought tolerance. Our study revealed that the ABA signaling pathway utilizes a facultative component of the chromatin remodeling complex to demarcate the level of expression of ABA-responsive genes.

Keywords: Arabidopsis; PRC2; VIL1; abscisic acid (ABA); drought tolerance; germination.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Abscisic Acid / metabolism
  • Abscisic Acid / pharmacology
  • Arabidopsis Proteins* / metabolism
  • Arabidopsis* / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
  • Germination / genetics
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Seedlings
  • Seeds / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Arabidopsis Proteins
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Histones
  • Transcription Factors
  • VIN3 protein, Arabidopsis
  • Abscisic Acid