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SYSTEMS BIOLOGY, MOLECULAR BIOLOGY, AND GENE REGULATION

Histone Modifications and Expression of Light-Regulated Genes in Arabidopsis Are Cooperatively Influenced by Changing Light Conditions^1,[W],[OA]

Peking-Yale Joint Center of Plant Molecular Genetics and Agrobiotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (L.G., X.W.D.); National Institute of Biological Science, Zhongguancun Life Science Park, Beijing 102206, China (L.G., J.Z., X.W.D.); and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (A.A.E., J.-B.F.C., X.W.D.)

Here, we analyzed the effects of light regulation on four selected histone modifications (H3K4me3, H3K9ac, H3K9me2, and H3K27me3) and the relationship of these histone modifications with the expression of representative light-regulated genes. We observed that the histone modifications examined and gene transcription were cooperatively regulated in response to changing light environments. Using H3K9ac as an example, our analysis indicated that histone modification patterns are set up very early and are relatively stable during Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedling development. Distinct photoreceptor systems are responsible for mediating the effects of different light qualities on histone modifications. Moreover, we found that light regulation of gene-specific histone modifications involved the known photomorphogenesis-related proteolytic system defined by the pleiotropic CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC/DE-ETOLIATED proteins and histone modification enzymes (such as HD1). Furthermore, our data suggest that light-regulated changes in histone modifications might be an intricate part of light-controlled gene transcription. Thus, it is possible that variations in histone modifications are an important physiological component of plant responses to changing light environments.

The author responsible for distribution of materials integral to the findings presented in this article in accordance with the policy described in the Instructions for Authors (www.plantphysiol.org) is: Xing Wang Deng (xingwang.deng{at}yale.edu).

^[W] The online version of this article contains Web-only data.

^[OA] Open Access articles can be viewed online without a subscription.

www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.108.122929

^* Corresponding author; e-mail xingwang.deng{at}yale.edu.

Received May 14, 2008; accepted June 3, 2008; published June 11, 2008.