Vernalization-triggered expression of the antisense transcript COOLAIR is mediated by CBF genes.

To synchronize flowering time with spring, many plants undergo vernalization, a floral-promotion process triggered by exposure to long-term winter cold. In Arabidopsis thaliana, this is achieved through cold-mediated epigenetic silencing of the floral repressor, FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). COOLAIR, a cold-induced antisense RNA transcribed from the FLC locus, has been proposed to facilitate FLC silencing. Here, we show that C-repeat (CRT)/dehydration-responsive elements (DREs) at the 3'-end of FLC and CRT/DRE-binding factors (CBFs) are required for cold-mediated expression of COOLAIR. CBFs bind to CRT/DREs at the 3'-end of FLC, both in vitro and in vivo, and CBF levels increase gradually during vernalization. Cold-induced COOLAIR expression is severely impaired in cbfs mutants in which all CBF genes are knocked-out. Conversely, CBF-overexpressing plants show increased COOLAIR levels even at warm temperatures. We show that COOLAIR is induced by CBFs during early stages of vernalization but COOLAIR levels decrease in later phases as FLC chromatin transitions to an inactive state to which CBFs can no longer bind. We also demonstrate that cbfs and FLCΔCOOLAIR mutants exhibit a normal vernalization response despite their inability to activate COOLAIR expression during cold, revealing that COOLAIR is not required for the vernalization process.

Long spells of cold winter weather may feel miserable, but they are often necessary for spring to blossom. Indeed, many plants need to face a prolonged period of low temperatures to be able to flower; this process is known as vernalization. While the molecular mechanisms which underpin vernalization are well-known, it is still unclear exactly how plants can 'sense' the difference between short and long periods of cold. Jeon, Jeong et al. set out to explore this question by focusing on COOLAIR, one of the rare genetic sequences identified as potentially being able to trigger vernalization. COOLAIR is a long noncoding RNA, a partial transcript of a gene that will not be 'read' by the cell to produce a protein but which instead regulates how and when certain genes are being switched on. COOLAIR emerges from the locus of the FLC gene, which is one of the main repressors of flowering, and it gradually accumulates in the plant when temperatures remain low for a long period. While some evidence suggests that COOLAIR may help to switch off FLC, other studies have raised some doubts about its involvement in vernalization. In response, Jeon, Jeong et al. examined the FLC gene in a range of plants closely related to A. thaliana, and in which COOLAIR also accumulates upon cold exposure. This helped them identify a class of proteins, known as CBFs, which could bind to sequences near the FLC gene to activate the production of COOLAIR when the plants were kept in cold conditions for a while. CBFs were already known to help plants adapt to short cold snaps, but these experiments confirmed that they could act as both short- and long-term cold sensors. This work allowed Jeon, Jeong et al. to propose a model in which CBF and therefore COOLAIR levels increase as the cold persists, until changes in the structure of the FLC gene prevent CBF from binding to it and COOLAIR production drops. Unexpectedly, examining the fate of mutants which could not produce COOLAIR revealed that these plants could still undergo vernalization, suggesting that the long noncoding RNA is in fact not necessary for this process. These results should prompt other scientists to further investigate the role of COOLAIR in vernalization; they also give insight into how coding and noncoding sequences may have evolved together in various members of the A. thaliana family to adapt to the environment.

Contribution of RdDM to the ecotype-specific differential methylation on conserved as well as highly variable regions between Arabidopsis ecotypes.

BACKGROUND: Several studies showed genome-wide DNA methylation during Arabidopsis embryogenesis and germination. Although it has been known that the change of DNA methylation mainly occurs at CHH context mediated by small RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway during seed ripening and germination, the causality of the methylation difference exhibited in natural Arabidopsis ecotypes has not been thoroughly studied. RESULTS: In this study we compared DNA methylation difference using comparative pairwise multi-omics dynamics in Columbia-0 (Col) and Cape Verde Island (Cvi) ecotypes. Arabidopsis genome was divided into two regions, common regions in both ecotypes and Col-specific regions, depending on the reads mapping of whole genome bisulfite sequencing libraries from both ecotypes. Ecotype comparison was conducted within common regions and the levels of DNA methylation on common regions and Col-specific regions were also compared. we confirmed transcriptome were relatively dynamic in stage-wise whereas the DNA methylome and small RNAome were more ecotype-dependent. While the global CG methylation remains steady during maturation and germination, we found genic CG methylation differs the most between the two accessions. We also found that ecotype-specific differentially methylated regions (eDMR) are positively correlated with ecotype-specifically expressed 24-nt small RNA clusters. In addition, we discovered that Col-specific regions enriched with transposable elements (TEs) and structural variants that tend to become hypermethylated, and TEs in Col-specific regions were longer in size, more pericentromeric, and more hypermethylated than those in the common regions. Through the analysis of RdDM machinery mutants, we confirmed methylation on Col-specific region as well as on eDMRs in common region are contributed by RdDM pathway. Lastly, we demonstrated that highly variable sequences between ecotypes (HOT regions) were also affected by RdDM-mediated regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Through ecotype comparison, we revealed differences and similarities of their transcriptome, methylome and small RNAome both in global and local regions. We validated the contribution of RdDM causing differential methylation of common regions. Hypermethylated ecotype-specific regions contributed by RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway largely depend on the presence of TEs and copy-gain structural variations. These ecotype-specific regions are frequently associated with HOT regions, providing evolutionary insights into the epigenome dynamics within a species.

Floral regulators FLC and SOC1 directly regulate expression of the B3-type transcription factor TARGET OF FLC AND SVP 1 at the Arabidopsis shoot apex via antagonistic chromatin modifications.

Integration of environmental and endogenous cues at plant shoot meristems determines the timing of flowering and reproductive development. The MADS box transcription factor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) of Arabidopsis thaliana is an important repressor of floral transition, which blocks flowering until plants are exposed to winter cold. However, the target genes of FLC have not been thoroughly described, and our understanding of the mechanisms by which FLC represses transcription of these targets and how this repression is overcome during floral transition is still fragmentary. Here, we identify and characterize TARGET OF FLC AND SVP1 (TFS1), a novel target gene of FLC and its interacting protein SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP). TFS1 encodes a B3-type transcription factor, and we show that tfs1 mutants are later flowering than wild-type, particularly under short days. FLC and SVP repress TFS1 transcription leading to deposition of trimethylation of Iysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27me3) by the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 at the TFS1 locus. During floral transition, after downregulation of FLC by cold, TFS1 transcription is promoted by SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS1 (SOC1), a MADS box protein encoded by another target of FLC/SVP. SOC1 opposes PRC function at TFS1 through recruitment of the histone demethylase RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 (REF6) and the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler ATPase BRAHMA (BRM). This recruitment of BRM is also strictly required for SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 9 (SPL9) binding at TFS1 to coordinate RNAPII recruitment through the Mediator complex. Thus, we show that antagonistic chromatin modifications mediated by different MADS box transcription factor complexes play a crucial role in defining the temporal and spatial patterns of transcription of genes within a network of interactions downstream of FLC/SVP during floral transition.

A regulatory circuit conferring varied flowering response to cold in annual and perennial plants.

The reproductive strategies of plants are highly variable. Short-lived annuals flower abundantly soon after germination, whereas longer-lived perennials postpone and spatially restrict flowering. We used CRISPR/Cas9 and interspecies gene transfer to understand divergence in reproductive patterns between annual and perennial crucifers. We show that in perennial Arabis alpina, flowering in response to winter cold depends on the floral integrator SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 15 (SPL15), whose activity is limited to older shoots and branches during cold exposure. In annuals, this regulatory system is conserved, but cold-induced flowering occurs in young shoots, without requirement for SPL15, through the photoperiodic pathway when plants return to warm. By reconstructing the annual response in perennials, we conclude that characteristic patterns of reproduction in annuals and perennials are conferred through variation in dependency on distinct flowering pathways acting in parallel.

DNA demethylation is initiated in the central cells of Arabidopsis and rice.

Cytosine methylation is a DNA modification with important regulatory functions in eukaryotes. In flowering plants, sexual reproduction is accompanied by extensive DNA demethylation, which is required for proper gene expression in the endosperm, a nutritive extraembryonic seed tissue. Endosperm arises from a fusion of a sperm cell carried in the pollen and a female central cell. Endosperm DNA demethylation is observed specifically on the chromosomes inherited from the central cell in Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, and maize, and requires the DEMETER DNA demethylase in Arabidopsis DEMETER is expressed in the central cell before fertilization, suggesting that endosperm demethylation patterns are inherited from the central cell. Down-regulation of the MET1 DNA methyltransferase has also been proposed to contribute to central cell demethylation. However, with the exception of three maize genes, central cell DNA methylation has not been directly measured, leaving the origin and mechanism of endosperm demethylation uncertain. Here, we report genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation in the central cells of Arabidopsis and rice-species that diverged 150 million years ago-as well as in rice egg cells. We find that DNA demethylation in both species is initiated in central cells, which requires DEMETER in Arabidopsis However, we do not observe a global reduction of CG methylation that would be indicative of lowered MET1 activity; on the contrary, CG methylation efficiency is elevated in female gametes compared with nonsexual tissues. Our results demonstrate that locus-specific, active DNA demethylation in the central cell is the origin of maternal chromosome hypomethylation in the endosperm.

Multi-layered Regulation of SPL15 and Cooperation with SOC1 Integrate Endogenous Flowering Pathways at the Arabidopsis Shoot Meristem.

Flowering is initiated in response to environmental and internal cues that are integrated at the shoot apical meristem (SAM). We show that SPL15 coordinates the basal floral promotion pathways required for flowering of Arabidopsis in non-inductive environments. SPL15 directly activates transcription of the floral regulators FUL and miR172b in the SAM during floral induction, whereas its paralog SPL9 is expressed later on the flanks of the SAM. The capacity of SPL15 to promote flowering is regulated by age through miR156, which targets SPL15 mRNA, and gibberellin (GA), which releases SPL15 from DELLAs. Furthermore, SPL15 and the MADS-box protein SOC1 cooperate to promote transcription of their target genes. SPL15 recruits RNAPII and MED18, a Mediator complex component, in a GA-dependent manner, while SOC1 facilitates active chromatin formation with the histone demethylase REF6. Thus, we present a molecular basis for assimilation of flowering signals and transcriptional control at the SAM during flowering.

Site-directed mutagenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana using dividing tissue-targeted RGEN of the CRISPR/Cas system to generate heritable null alleles.

MAIN CONCLUSION: Dividing tissue-targeted site-directed mutagenesis using RGEN of CRISPR/Cas system produces heritable mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana. Site-directed genome engineering in higher plants has great potential for basic research and molecular breeding. Here, we describe a method for site-directed mutagenesis of the Arabidopsis nuclear genome that efficiently generates heritable mutations using the RNA-guided endonuclease (RGEN) derived from bacterial clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 (CRISPR associated) protein system. To induce mutagenesis in proliferating tissues during embryogenesis and throughout the plant life cycle, the single guide RNA (sgRNA) and Cas9 DNA endonuclease were expressed from the U6 snRNA and INCURVATA2 promoters, respectively. After Agrobacterium-mediated introduction of T-DNAs encoding RGENs that targets FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE 4 genes, somatic mutagenesis at the targeted loci was observed in T1 transformants. In the results of FT-RGEN, T1 plants often showed late flowering indicative of the presence of large somatic sectors in which the FT gene is mutated on both chromosomes. DNA sequencing analysis estimated that about 90 % of independent chromosomal DNA fragments carried mutations in the analyzed tissue of a T1 plant showing late flowering. The most frequently detected somatic polymorphism showed a high rate of inheritance in T2 plants, and inheritance of less frequent polymorphisms was also observed. As a result, late-flowering plants homozygous for novel, heritable null alleles of FT including a 1 bp insertion or short deletions were recovered in the following T2 and T3 generations. Our results demonstrate that dividing tissue-targeted mutagenesis using RGEN provides an efficient heritable genome engineering method in A. thaliana.

The catalytic subunit of Arabidopsis DNA polymerase α ensures stable maintenance of histone modification.

Mitotic inheritance of identical cellular memory is crucial for development in multicellular organisms. The cell type-specific epigenetic state should be correctly duplicated upon DNA replication to maintain cellular memory during tissue and organ development. Although a role of DNA replication machinery in maintenance of epigenetic memory has been proposed, technical limitations have prevented characterization of the process in detail. Here, we show that INCURVATA2 (ICU2), the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase α in Arabidopsis, ensures the stable maintenance of repressive histone modifications. The missense mutant allele icu2-1 caused a defect in the mitotic maintenance of vernalization memory. Although neither the recruitment of CURLY LEAF (CLF), a SET-domain component of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), nor the resultant deposition of the histone mark H3K27me3 required for vernalization-induced FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) repression were affected, icu2-1 mutants exhibited unstable maintenance of the H3K27me3 level at the FLC region, which resulted in mosaic FLC de-repression after vernalization. ICU2 maintains the repressive chromatin state at additional PRC2 targets as well as at heterochromatic retroelements. In icu2-1 mutants, the subsequent binding of LIKE-HETEROCHROMATIN PROTEIN 1 (LHP1), a functional homolog of PRC1, at PRC2 targets was also reduced. We demonstrated that ICU2 facilitates histone assembly in dividing cells, suggesting a possible mechanism for ICU2-mediated epigenetic maintenance.

Identification of regulators required for the reactivation of FLOWERING LOCUS C during Arabidopsis reproduction.

FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) is a central floral repressor for the determination of flowering time in Arabidopsis. FLC expression is reactivated upon fertilization and regulated during seed development to ensure the appropriate floral behavior; however, the molecular mechanism for this process is largely unknown. Here, we report the identification of crucial regulators for FLC reactivation during embryogenesis by analyzing FLC::GUS and endogenous FLC expression. We newly define that the full reactivation of FLC requires a FRIGIDA (FRI)-containing protein complex throughout embryogenesis. Mutations in EARLY FLOWERING 7 (ELF7) and VERNALIZATION INDEPENDENCE4 (VIP4) showed severe defects in the reactivation of FLC transcription, suggesting that both of the genes, Arabidopsis homologs of the members of the yeast RNA polymerase II-associated factor 1 (Paf1) complex, are indispensable for FLC reactivation. actin-related protein 6 (arp6), arabidopsis trithorax 1 (atx1), arabidopsis trithorax-related 7 (atxr7), and atx1 atxr7 double mutants also caused the downregulation of FLC during seed development, but the defects were less severe than those in mutants for the FRI- and Paf1-complexes. These results suggest that the ARP6-containing Swr1-complex and FLC-specific histone methyltransferases, ATX1 and ATXR7, have relatively partial roles in FLC reactivation. In contrast to the roles of the histone modifiers, factors in the DNA methylation pathway and biogenesis of small RNAs are not involved in FLC regulation during reproduction. Taken together, our results demonstrate that adjustment by select FLC activators is critical for the re-establishment of an FLC expression state after fertilization to ensure competence for optimal flowering in the next generation.

Growth habit determination by the balance of histone methylation activities in Arabidopsis.

In Arabidopsis, the rapid-flowering summer-annual versus the vernalization-requiring winter-annual growth habit is determined by natural variation in FRIGIDA (FRI) and FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). However, the biochemical basis of how FRI confers a winter-annual habit remains elusive. Here, we show that FRI elevates FLC expression by enhancement of histone methyltransferase (HMT) activity. EARLY FLOWERING IN SHORT DAYS (EFS), which is essential for FRI function, is demonstrated to be a novel dual substrate (histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4) and H3K36)-specific HMT. FRI is recruited into FLC chromatin through EFS and in turn enhances EFS activity and engages additional HMTs. At FLC, the HMT activity of EFS is balanced by the H3K4/H3K36- and H3K4-specific histone demethylase (HDM) activities of autonomous-pathway components, RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 and FLOWERING LOCUS D, respectively. Loss of HDM activity in summer annuals results in dominant HMT activity, leading to conversion to a winter-annual habit in the absence of FRI. Thus, our study provides a model of how growth habit is determined through the balance of the H3K4/H3K36-specific HMT and HDM activities.

Resetting and regulation of Flowering Locus C expression during Arabidopsis reproductive development.

The epigenetic regulation of the floral repressor Flowering Locus C (FLC) is one of the critical factors that determine flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana. Although many FLC regulators, and their effects on FLC chromatin, have been extensively studied, the epigenetic resetting of FLC has not yet been thoroughly characterized. Here, we investigate the FLC expression during gametogenesis and embryogenesis using FLC::GUS transgenic plants and RNA analysis. Regardless of the epigenetic state in adult plants, FLC expression disappeared in gametophytes. Subsequently, FLC expression was reactivated after fertilization in embryos, but not in the endosperm. Both parental alleles contributed equally to the expression of FLC in embryos. Surprisingly, the reactivation of FLC in early embryos was independent of FRIGIDA (FRI) and SUPPRESSOR OF FRIGIDA 4 (SUF4) activities. Instead, FRI, SUF4 and autonomous-pathway genes determined the level of FLC expression only in late embryogenesis. Many FLC regulators exhibited expression patterns similar to that of FLC, indicating potential roles in FLC reprogramming. An FVE mutation caused ectopic expression of FLC in the endosperm. A mutation in PHOTOPERIOD-INDEPENDENT EARLY FLOWERING 1 caused defects in FLC reactivation in early embryogenesis, and maintenance of full FLC expression in late embryogenesis. We also show that the polycomb group complex components, Fertilization-Independent endosperm and MEDEA, which mediate epigenetic regulation in seeds, are not relevant for FLC reprogramming. Based on our results, we propose that FLC reprogramming is composed of three phases: (i) repression in gametogenesis, (ii) reactivation in early embryogenesis and (iii) maintenance in late embryogenesis.

Temporal and spatial downregulation of Arabidopsis MET1 activity results in global DNA hypomethylation and developmental defects.

DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism for gene silencing. In Arabidopsis, MET1 is the primary DNA methyltransferase that maintains CG DNA methylation. Plants having an overall reduction of MET1 activity, caused by a met1 mutation or a constitutively expressed MET1 antisense gene, display genome hypomethylation, inappropriate gene and transposon transcription, and developmental abnormalities. However, the effect of atransient reduction in MET1 activity caused by inhibiting MET1 expression in a restricted set of cells is not known. For this reason, we generated transgenic plants with a MET1 antisense gene fused to the DEMETER (DME) promoter (DME:MET1 a/s). Here we show that DME is expressed in leaf primordia, lateral root primoridia, in the region distal to the primary root apical meristem, which are regions that include proliferating cells. Endogenous MET1 expression was normal in organs where the DME:MET1 a/s was not expressed. Although DME promoter is active only in a small set of cells, these plants displayed global developmental abnormalities. Moreover, centromeric repeats were hypomethylated. The developmental defects were accumulated by the generations. Thus, not maintaining CG methylation in a small population of proliferating cells flanking the meristems causes global developmental and epigenetic abnormalities that cannot be rescued by restoring MET1 activity. These results suggest that during plant development there is little or no short-term molecular memory for reestablishing certain patterns of CG methylation that are maintained by MET1. Thus, continuous MET1 activity in dividing cells is essential for proper patterns of CG DNA methylation and development.

Cooperation and functional diversification of two closely related galactolipase genes for jasmonate biosynthesis.

Jasmonic acid (JA) plays pivotal roles in diverse plant biological processes, including wound response. Chloroplast lipid hydrolysis is a critical step for JA biosynthesis, but the mechanism of this process remains elusive. We report here that DONGLE (DGL), a homolog of DEFECTIVE IN ANTHER DEHISCENCE1 (DAD1), encodes a chloroplast-targeted lipase with strong galactolipase and weak phospholipase A(1) activity. DGL is expressed in the leaves and has a specific role in maintaining basal JA content under normal conditions, and this expression regulates vegetative growth and is required for a rapid JA burst after wounding. During wounding, DGL and DAD1 have partially redundant functions for JA production, but they show different induction kinetics, indicating temporally separated roles: DGL plays a role in the early phase of JA production, and DAD1 plays a role in the late phase of JA production. Whereas DGL and DAD1 are necessary and sufficient for JA production, phospholipase D appears to modulate wound response by stimulating DGL and DAD1 expression.

The SUMO E3 ligase, AtSIZ1, regulates flowering by controlling a salicylic acid-mediated floral promotion pathway and through affects on FLC chromatin structure.

Loss-of-function siz1 mutations caused early flowering under short days. siz1 plants have elevated salicylic acid (SA) levels, which are restored to wild-type levels by expressing nahG, bacterial salicylate hydroxylase. The early flowering of siz1 was suppressed by expressing nahG, indicating that SIZ1 represses the transition to flowering mainly through suppressing SA-dependent floral promotion signaling under short days. Previous results have shown that exogenous SA treatment does not suppress late flowering of autonomous pathway mutants. However, the siz1 mutation accelerated flowering time of an autonomous pathway mutant, luminidependens, by reducing the expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a floral repressor. This result suggests that SIZ1 promotes FLC expression, possibly through an SA-independent pathway. Evidence indicates that SIZ1 is required for the full activation of FLC expression in the late-flowering FRIGIDA background. Interestingly, increased FLC expression and late flowering of an autonomous pathway mutant, flowering locus d (fld), was not suppressed by siz1, suggesting that SIZ1 promotes FLC expression by repressing FLD. Consistent with this, SIZ1 facilitates sumoylation of FLD that can be suppressed by mutations in three predicted sumoylation motifs in FLD (i.e. FLDK3R). Furthermore, expression of FLDK3R in fld protoplasts strongly reduced FLC transcription compared with expression of FLD, and this affect was linked to reduced acetylation of histone 4 in FLC chromatin. Taken together, the results suggest that SIZ1 is a floral repressor that not only represses the SA-dependent pathway, but also promotes FLC expression by repressing FLD activity through sumoylation, which is required for full FLC expression in a FRIGIDA background.

Generating and maintaining jasmonic acid in Arabidopsis.

Jasmonic acid (JA) is a lipid-derived plant hormone that mediates diverse biological phenomena. It is one of major goals in JA research field to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of JA level. Recently we have demonstrated cooperative and differentiated roles of two chloroplast localized galactolipases, DGL (DONGLE) and DAD1 (DEFECTIVE IN ANTHER DEHISCENCE 1), for the regulation of JA content. The DGL maintains a basal level of JA in unwounded vegetative tissues, while the DAD1 is involved in JA production in floral tissues. The JA in vegetative tissues regulates cell expansion while the JA produced in flowers regulates pollen maturation. After wounding, the cooperative function of DGL and DAD1 causes drastic increase of JA. The analysis of induction kinetics showed that the two enzymes have temporally separated roles in wound response; DGL in early phase and DAD1 in late phase of JA production. In this addendum, we discuss the implications of our recent findings and extend our working model for JA homeostasis in plants.

KIDARI, encoding a non-DNA Binding bHLH protein, represses light signal transduction in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Through activation tagging mutagenesis, we isolated a kidari-D (kdr-D) mutant, which exhibited a defect in blue and far-red light mediated photomorphogenesis. Under continuous blue light, the kdr-D mutant showed long hypocotyl phenotype, whereas it showed normal cotyledon opening and expansion. In addition, the kdr-D showed slightly longer hypocotyl under continuous far-red light, suggesting that KDR functions in a branch of cry signaling and mediates a cross-talk between cry and phyA. In the kdr-D mutant, a gene encoding a putative basic/Helix-Loop-Helix (bHLH) protein was overexpressed by the insertion of 35S enhancer into 10 kb upstream of the gene. Consistently, overexpression of this gene recapitulated the phenotype of kdr-D. KDR is composed of 94 amino acids with non-DNA binding HLH domain, a structure found in human Inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (Id-1) which functions as a negative regulator of bHLH proteins through heterodimerization with them. The KDR specifically interacted with HFR1, a bHLH protein regulating photomorphogenesis, in yeast two hybrid assay and the kdr-D was epistatic to 35S::HFR1 in the hypocotyl phenotype. Thus, it shows that KDR functions as a negative regulator of HFR1, similar to Id-1 in human. The KDR exhibited circadian expression pattern with an increase during the day. Taken together, our results suggest that KDR attenuates light mediated responses in day light condition through inhibition of the activity of bHLH proteins involved in light signaling.

SUPPRESSOR OF FRIGIDA3 encodes a nuclear ACTIN-RELATED PROTEIN6 required for floral repression in Arabidopsis.

Flowering traits in winter annual Arabidopsis thaliana are conferred mainly by two genes, FRIGIDA (FRI) and FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). FLC acts as a flowering repressor and is regulated by multiple flowering pathways. We isolated an early-flowering mutant, suppressor of FRIGIDA3 (suf3), which also shows leaf serration, weak apical dominance, and infrequent conversion of the inflorescence shoot to a terminal flower. The suf3 mutation caused a decrease in the transcript level of FLC in both a FRI-containing line and autonomous pathway mutants. However, suf3 showed only a partial reduction of FLC transcript level, although it largely suppressed the late-flowering phenotype. In addition, the suf3 mutation caused acceleration of flowering in both 35S-FLC and a flc null mutant, indicating that SUF3 regulates additional factor(s) for the repression of flowering. SUF3 is highly expressed in the shoot apex, but the expression is not regulated by FRI, autonomous pathway genes, or vernalization. SUF3 encodes the nuclear ACTIN-RELATED PROTEIN6 (ARP6), the homolog of which in yeast is a component of an ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling SWR1 complex. Our analyses showed that SUF3 regulates FLC expression independent of vernalization, FRI, and an autonomous pathway gene, all of which affect the histone modification of FLC chromatin. Subcellular localization using a green fluorescent protein fusion showed that Arabidopsis ARP6 is located at distinct regions of the nuclear periphery.

A genetic link between cold responses and flowering time through FVE in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Cold induces expression of a number of genes that encode proteins that enhance tolerance to freezing temperatures in plants. A cis-acting element responsive to cold and drought, the C-repeat/dehydration-responsive element (C/DRE), was identified in the Arabidopsis thaliana stress-inducible genes RD29A and COR15a and found in other cold-inducible genes in various plants. C/DRE-binding factor/DRE-binding protein (CBF/DREB) is an essential component of the cold-acclimation response, but the signaling pathways and networks are mostly unknown. Here we used targeted genetic approach to isolate A. thaliana mutants with altered cold-responsive gene expression (acg) and identify ACG1 as a negative regulator of the CBF/DREB pathway. acg1 flowered late and had elevated expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a repressor of flowering encoding a MADS-box protein. We showed that acg1 is a null allele of the autonomous pathway gene FVE. FVE encodes a homolog of the mammalian retinoblastoma-associated protein, a component of a histone deacetylase (HDAC) complex involved in transcriptional repression. We also showed that plants sense intermittent cold stress through FVE and delay flowering with increasing expression of FLC. Dual roles of FVE in regulating the flowering time and the cold response may have an evolutionary advantage for plants by increasing their survival rates.