A new role for histone demethylases in the maintenance of plant genome integrity

Antunez-Sanchez, J.; Naish, M.; Ramirez-Prado, J. S.; Ohno, S.; Huang, Y.; Dawson, A.; Manza-Mianza, D.; Ariel, F.; Raynaud, C.; Wibowo, A.; Daron, J.; Ueda, M.; Latrasse, D.; Slotkin, R. K.; Weigel, D.; Benhamed, M.; Gutierrez-Marcos, J.

doi:10.1101/2020.03.02.972752

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.03.02.972752

A new role for histone demethylases in the maintenance of plant genome integrity

Antunez-Sanchez, J.·Naish, M.·Ramirez-Prado, J. S.·Ohno, S.·Huang, Y.·Dawson, A.·Manza-Mianza, D.·Ariel, F.·Raynaud, C.·Wibowo, A.·Daron, J.·Ueda, M.·Latrasse, D.·Slotkin, R. K.·Weigel, D.·Benhamed, M.·Gutierrez-Marcos, J.

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Abstract

Histone modifications deposited by the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) play a critical role in the control of growth, development and adaptation to environmental fluctuations in most multicellular eukaryotes. The catalytic activity of PRC2 is counteracted by Jumonji-type (JMJ) histone demethylases, which shapes the genomic distribution of H3K27me3. Here, we show that two JMJ histone demethylases in Arabidopsis, EARLY FLOWERING 6 (ELF6) and RELATIVE OF EARLY FLOWERING 6 (REF6), play distinct roles in H3K27me3 and H3K27me1 homeostasis. We show that failure to reset these chromatin marks during sexual reproduction results in the inheritance of epigenetic imprints, which cause a loss of DNA methylation at heterochromatic loci and transposon activation. Thus, Jumonji-type histone demethylases in plants contribute towards maintaining distinct transcriptional states during development and help safeguard genome integrity following sexual reproduction.

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Antunez-Sanchez, J., Naish, M., Ramirez-Prado, J. S., Ohno, S., Huang, Y., Dawson, A., Manza-Mianza, D., Ariel, F., Raynaud, C., Wibowo, A., Daron, J., Ueda, M., Latrasse, D., Slotkin, R. K., Weigel, D., Benhamed, M., Gutierrez-Marcos, J.. 2020-03-03. A new role for histone demethylases in the maintenance of plant genome integrity. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.02.972752

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