Hypermethylation of Auxin-Responsive Motifs in the Promoters of the Transcription Factor Genes Accompanies the Somatic Embryogenesis Induction in Arabidopsis.
The auxin-induced embryogenic reprogramming of plant somatic cells is associated with extensive modulation of the gene expression in which epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, seem to play a crucial role. However, the function of DNA methylation, including the role of auxin in epigenetic regulation of the SE-controlling genes, remains poorly understood. Hence, in the present study, we analysed the expression and methylation of the TF genes that play a critical regulatory role during SE induction (LEC1, LEC2, BBM, WUS and AGL15) in auxin-treated explants of Arabidopsis. The results showed that auxin treatment substantially affected both the expression and methylation patterns of the SE-involved TF genes in a concentration-dependent manner. The auxin treatment differentially modulated the methylation of the promoter (P) and gene body (GB) sequences of the SE-involved genes. Relevantly, the SE-effective auxin treatment (5.0 µM of 2,4-D) was associated with the stable hypermethylation of the P regions of the SE-involved genes and a significantly higher methylation of the P than the GB fragments was a characteristic feature of the embryogenic culture. The presence of auxin-responsive (AuxRE) motifs in the hypermethylated P regions suggests that auxin might substantially contribute to the DNA methylation-mediated control of the SE-involved genes.
['Grzybkowska|Daria|D|', 'Nowak|Katarzyna|K|', 'Gaj|Małgorzata D|MD|0000-0003-2995-4134']
D020816:Amino Acid Motifs D017360:Arabidopsis D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins D002478:Cells, Cultured D019175:DNA Methylation D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant D018398:Homeodomain Proteins D007210:Indoleacetic Acids D026161:MADS Domain Proteins D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic D014157:Transcription Factors
somatic embryogenesis DNA methylation SE-related genes