Digital paradigm for Polycomb epigenetic switching and memory

Menon, Govind; Schulten, Anna; Dean, Caroline; Howard, Martin

doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2021.102012

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Specifically, PcG-protein-mediated histone modifications and epigenetic silencing of the main floral inhibitor FLC are the central hub in the control of vernalization, which is conserved in several plant species [188]. Studies regarding epigenetic regulation of the FLC locus have been thoroughly discussed in several reviews [175,[189][190][191], and will not be discussed here.…”

Section: Seasonal and Diel Oscillationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of H3K27me3 Modification on Plant Adaptation to Environmental Cues

Shen

Lin

et al. 2021

Plants

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Given their sessile nature, plants have evolved sophisticated regulatory networks to confer developmental plasticity for adaptation to fluctuating environments. Epigenetic codes, like tri-methylation of histone H3 on Lys27 (H3K27me3), are evidenced to account for this evolutionary benefit. Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and PRC1 implement and maintain the H3K27me3-mediated gene repression in most eukaryotic cells. Plants take advantage of this epigenetic machinery to reprogram gene expression in development and environmental adaption. Recent studies have uncovered a number of new players involved in the establishment, erasure, and regulation of H3K27me3 mark in plants, particularly highlighting new roles in plants’ responses to environmental cues. Here, we review current knowledge on PRC2-H3K27me3 dynamics occurring during plant growth and development, including its writers, erasers, and readers, as well as targeting mechanisms, and summarize the emerging roles of H3K27me3 mark in plant adaptation to environmental stresses.

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Section: Seasonal and Diel Oscillationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of H3K27me3 Modification on Plant Adaptation to Environmental Cues

Shen

Lin

et al. 2021

Plants

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“…One such example is PRC2-mediated regulation at the Arabidopsis floral repressor gene FLOWERING LOCUS C ( FLC ) (Menon et al, 2021). The winter cold-induced epigenetic silencing is an ON/OFF cell-autonomous, stochastic switching of individual FLC copies into a Polycomb silenced state (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proximal termination generates a transcriptional state that determines the rate of establishment of Polycomb silencing

Menon

Mateo-Bonmatí

Reeck

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Chromatin-mediated transcriptional states are central to gene regulation in development and environmental response, with co-transcriptional processes involved in their establishment. Quantitative regulation of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) is key to determining reproductive strategy. Low FLC expression underpins rapid-cycling and is established through a transcription-coupled chromatin mechanism. Proximal termination of antisense transcripts is linked to histone 3 lysine 4 demethylation of adjacent chromatin that leads to stable Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) silencing. However, how the termination-induced chromatin environment influences the switch to PRC2 silencing is still unclear. Here, we combine molecular approaches with theory to develop a dynamic mathematical model that incorporates sense/antisense transcription, alternative termination sites, and the interplay of these processes with varying levels of activating (H3K4me1)/silencing (H3K27me3) histone modifications. The model captures different feedback mechanisms between co-transcriptional 3′ processing and chromatin modifications, detailing how proximal co-transcriptional polyadenylation/termination can set the subsequent level of productive transcription via removal of H3K4 monomethylation across the locus. Since transcription universally antagonizes Polycomb silencing, this dictates the degree of antagonism to H3K27me3, thus determining the rate at which Polycomb repression is established. These principles are likely to be central to regulating transcriptional output at many targets and generally relevant for Polycomb silencing in many genomes.

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“…Prolonged exposure to cold temperature, also referred to as vernalization, provides a direct link between environmental sensing and the establishment and resetting of an epigenetic somatic memory to regulate flowering initiation in arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Elegant genetic and modeling studies on flowering regulation have uncovered a distinct temperature sensing mechanism where vernalization operates via a digital, polycomb-mediated epigenetic switch leading to the upregulation of VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE3 (VIN3) and silencing of FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) [28]. In addition, recent reports showed that the epigenetic memory of vernalization is meiotically stable during female gamete formation and is maternally transmitted in arabidopsis before being reset during embryogenesis.…”

Section: Interplay Between Stress-induced Epigenetic Changes and Stre...mentioning

confidence: 99%