The Histone Variant H3.3 Is Required for Plant Growth and Fertility in <i>Arabidopsis</i>
Histones are the core components of the eukaryote chromosome, and have been implicated in transcriptional gene regulation. There are three major isoforms of histone H3 in <i>Arabidopsis</i>. Studies have shown that the H3.3 variant is pivotal in modulating nucleosome structure and gene t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/25/5/2549 |
| Summary: | Histones are the core components of the eukaryote chromosome, and have been implicated in transcriptional gene regulation. There are three major isoforms of histone H3 in <i>Arabidopsis</i>. Studies have shown that the H3.3 variant is pivotal in modulating nucleosome structure and gene transcription. However, the function of H3.3 during development remains to be further investigated in plants. In this study, we disrupted all three <i>H3.3</i> genes in <i>Arabidopsis</i>. Two triple mutants, <i>h3.3cr-4</i> and <i>h3.3cr-5,</i> were created by the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The mutant plants displayed smaller rosettes and decreased fertility. The stunted growth of <i>h3.3cr-4</i> may result from reduced expression of cell cycle regulators. The shorter stamen filaments, but not the fertile ability of the gametophytes, resulted in reduced fertility of <i>h3.3cr-4</i>. The transcriptome analysis suggested that the reduced filament elongation of <i>h3.3cr-4</i> was probably caused by the ectopic expression of several <i>JASMONATE-ZIM DOMAIN</i> (<i>JAZ</i>) genes, which are the key repressors of the signaling pathway of the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA). These observations suggest that the histone variant H3.3 promotes plant growth, including rosette growth and filament elongation. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |