Hop stunt viroid infection induces heterochromatin reorganization.
New Phytol
; 2024 Jul 18.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39030826
ABSTRACT
Viroids are pathogenic noncoding RNAs that completely rely on their host molecular machinery to accomplish their life cycle. Several interactions between viroids and their host molecular machinery have been identified, including interference with epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation. Despite this, whether viroids influence changes in other epigenetic marks such as histone modifications remained unknown. Epigenetic regulation is particularly important during pathogenesis processes because it might be a key regulator of the dynamism of the defense response. Here we have analyzed the changes taking place in Cucumis sativus (cucumber) facultative and constitutive heterochromatin during hop stunt viroid (HSVd) infection using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) of the two main heterochromatic marks H3K9me2 and H3K27me3. We find that HSVd infection is associated with changes in both H3K27me3 and H3K9me2, with a tendency to decrease the levels of repressive epigenetic marks through infection progression. These epigenetic changes are connected to the transcriptional regulation of their expected targets, genes, and transposable elements. Indeed, several genes related to the defense response are targets of both epigenetic marks. Our results highlight another host regulatory mechanism affected by viroid infection, providing further information about the complexity of the multiple layers of interactions between pathogens/viroids and hosts/plants.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
New Phytol
Assunto da revista:
BOTANICA
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Suécia