Engineering Tree Seasonal Cycles of Growth Through Chromatin Modification.

Daniel Conde,Pablo González-Melendi,Alba Lloret,Gerald A Tuskan,Isabel Allona,Mariano Perales,Avinash Sreedasyam,Gabino Ríos,María L Badenes

doi:10.3389/fpls.2019.00412

Abstract

In temperate and boreal regions, perennial trees arrest cell division in their meristematic tissues during winter dormancy until environmental conditions become appropriate for their renewed growth. Release from the dormant state requires exposure to a period of chilling temperatures similar to the vernalization required for flowering in Arabidopsis. Over the past decade, genomic DNA (gDNA) methylation and transcriptome studies have revealed signatures of chromatin regulation during active growth and winter dormancy. To date, only a few chromatin modification genes, as candidate regulators of these developmental stages, have been functionally characterized in trees. In this work, we summarize the major findings of the chromatin-remodeling role during growth-dormancy cycles and we explore the transcriptional profiling of vegetative apical bud and stem tissues during dormancy. Finally, we discuss genetic strategies designed to improve the growth and quality of forest trees.

Highlights

In temperate and boreal regions, a perennial plant’s interannual life cycle comprises multiple vegetative growth, and dormancy cycles
We review the most recent evidences of DNA methylation and histone modification roles during annual growth-dormancy cycles in trees
Our RNAseq-based gene expression profiles revealed that the poplar homologs to Arabidopsis genes, involved in de novo DNA methylation machinery, such us domains rearranged 2 (DRM2), are highly and constantly expressed from autumn to spring including winter dormancy in apical bud and stem tissues (Figures 1A,B)

Summary

Introduction

In temperate and boreal regions, a perennial plant’s interannual life cycle comprises multiple vegetative growth, and dormancy cycles. We explore RNA-seq-based gene expression profiles in poplar vegetative apical bud and stem tissues, discovering seasonal expression patterns of genes involved in DNA methylation machinery.

Results

Conclusion