Role of chromatin modification and remodeling in stem cell regulation and meristem maintenance in Arabidopsis

Abstract

In higher plants, pluripotent stem cells reside in the specialized microenvironment called stem cell niches (SCNs) harbored at the shoot apical meristem (SAM) and root apical meristem (RAM), which give rise to the aerial and underground parts of a plant, respectively. The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) has been extensively studied to decipher the intricate regulatory mechanisms involving some key transcriptions factors and phytohormones that play pivotal roles in stem cell homeostasis, meristem maintenance, and organ formation. However, there is increasing evidence to show the epigenetic regulation of the chromatin architecture, gene expression exerting an influence on an innate balance between the self-renewal of stem cells, and differentiation of the progeny cells to a specific tissue type or organ. Post-translational histone modifications, ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling, and chromatin assembly/disassembly are some of the key features involved in the modulation of chromatin architecture. Here, we discuss the major epigenetic regulators and illustrate their roles in the regulation of stem cell activity, meristem maintenance, and related organ patterning in Arabidopsis.

Chaetocin enhances callus induction by decreasing the expression of major leaf polarity genes in Nicotiana tabacum

“…However, in plants, there are only a few studies that tested these chemical inhibitors based on HM homology between plants and animals (Li et al, 2014;Berenguer et al, 2017;Ruta et al, 2019). It is known that epigenetic regulators primarily associate with a wide range of cellular processes, including somatic embryogenesis, plant reprogramming and plant stem cell maintenance (Berr et al, 2011;Lee and Seo, 2018;Osorio-Montalvo et al, 2018;Singh et al, 2020). Therefore, characterizing new plant epigenetic inhibitors and elucidating their effects and understanding the regulation of main cellular mechanisms may help researchers to develop new manageable approaches in plant science and biotechnology.…”

“…The delicate balance in these critical processes and alteration of cell fate are cooperatively orchestrated by epigenetic regulators guided by certain physiological and environmental conditions. (Berenguer et al, 2017;Inácio et al, 2018;Zhang et al, 2018;Singh et al, 2020). Studies to understand the action mechanism of epigenetic regulators in various biological processes and manipulate them for biotechnological purposes have come into prominence in recent years (Berenguer et al, 2017;Yu et al, 2017;Vaijayanthi et al, 2018;Ruta et al, 2019).…”

“…It has been shown that multiple mutations on leaf polarity genes give rise to ectopic expression of KNOX and WUS genes that allow SAM structure to re-establish and thereby promote the loss of leaf identity (Kumaran et al, 2002;Eshed et al, 2004;Sarojam et al, 2010;Palermo and Dornelas, 2020). Besides transcriptional regulation, post-translational modifications (PTMs) such as methylation, acetylation, and phosphorylation of the protein tails of the core histones, are critical for controlling gene expression in plant development (Liu et al, 2010;Berr et al, 2011;Singh et al, 2020). However, the epigenetic regulation pathway in the maintenance of stem cells and cellular differentiation during plant development needs to be detailed (Ruta et al, 2019;Cheng et al, 2020;Su et al, 2020).…”

Genome-Wide High Resolution Expression Map and Functions of Key Cell Fate Determinants Reveal the Dynamics of Crown Root Development in Rice

“…The induction phase during CRP establishment would require the acquisition of pluripotency through genetic reprogramming in response to localized developmental cues. Stable but reversible modification of DNA and histone proteins along with chromatin remodeling factors provide epigenetic regulation of gene expression to control the crucial balance between stem cell selfrenewal, cellular patterning, and tissue-specific differentiation during plant growth and development, and various stresses (Takatsuka and Umeda, 2015;Servet et al 2010;Ojolo et al 2018;Singh et al, 2020). Arabidopsis GCN5-related N-acetyltransferases family (GNAT), SWI2/SNF2 factors, and PHD domain-containing factors play a key role in positioning the SCN by epigenetically regulating expression domain of PLTs and WOX5 (Kornet and Scheres, 2009;Servet et al, 2010;Sang et al, 2012;Napsucialy-Mendivil et al, 2014;Zhang et al, 2015).…”

Chromatin remodeling factors regulate environmental stress responses in plants

“…The genomes of the model plants Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ), rice ( Oryza sativa ), and tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) encode 41, 40, and 45 Snf2 family genes, respectively, and the corresponding phylogenetic relationship and domain architectures have been clearly described (Knizewski et al, 2008; Hu et al, 2013; Zhang et al, 2019). Many articles have recently highlighted the roles of CHRs in general plant development and growth (Han et al, 2015; Sarnowska et al, 2016; Ojolo et al, 2018; Singh et al, 2020). In this review, we focus on major recent advances in our understanding of the functions of CHRs specifically during plant stress responses.…”