Heat acculimation under field condtions

• Project/Area Number: 19K22431
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 44:Biology at cellular to organismal levels, and related fields
• Research Institution: Nara Institute of Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: Nobutoshi Yamaguchi 奈良先端科学技術大学院大学, 先端科学技術研究科, 助教 (90767899)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-06-28 – 2021-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2020)
• Budget Amount: ¥6,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,500,000); Fiscal Year 2020: ¥3,250,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥750,000); Fiscal Year 2019: ¥3,250,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥750,000)
• Keywords: Plant physiology / 植物 / エピゲノム / 環境応答 / シロイヌナズナ / 高温応答 / エピジェネティクス / 高温順化

Outline of Research at the Start

植物は一度受けた高温の刺激に対して、順応するようになる。このことを高温順化という。地球の温暖化が予想されているため、植物が高温に順応するメカニズムを知り、人為的に調節することは食料の安定な供給のための必須の課題と言える。しから、これまでのシロイヌナズナを用いた高温順化の実験は、フィールドでは植物が経験しない条件で解析が行われてきた。申請者は、遺伝因子とエピジェネティックな因子に注目して、シロイヌナズナのフィールドにおける高温順化の分子基盤を解析する。実験室とフィールド条件での植物の高温順化能の違いを理解し、その多様性・柔軟性・進化をゲノム・エピゲノムの両方の観点から理解する。

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Acclimation to high temperature increases plants’ tolerance of subsequent lethal high temperatures. Although epigenetic regulation of plant gene expression is well studied, how plants maintain a memory of environmental changes over time remains unclear. Here, we show that JUMONJI (JMJ) proteins, demethylases involved in histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), are necessary for Arabidopsis thaliana heat acclimation. Acclimation induces sustained H3K27me3 demethylation at HEAT SHOCK PROTEIN22 (HSP22) and HSP17.6C loci by JMJs, poising the HSP genes for subsequent activation. Upon sensing heat after a 3-day interval, JMJs directly reactivate these HSP genes.

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

申請者は、植物が記憶をする原理を研究し、エピゲノム因子であるJUMONJI (JMJ)が抑制的ヒストン修飾であるH3K27me3を除去することで、植物が高温を受けた経験をしばらく記憶することを明らかにした (Yamaguchi et al., 受理, Nature Com.)。この研究は植物の記憶の分子基盤の実体を明らかにした例として、国際的に高く評価された。
繰り返しやってくる高温の刺激に適応する仕組みを解明して操作することは、植物の生き残り戦略を知り、植物に対する気候変動の影響を軽減するための対策を講じていくうえでも非常に重要である。

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] ペンシルバニア大学(米国)
• [Int'l Joint Research] 湖南科技大学(中国)
• [Journal Article] One factor many systems: The floral homeotic protein AGAMOUS and its epigenetic regulatory mechanism. (2021)
  • Author(s): Pelayo, M.A., Yamaguchi, N., and Ito, T.
  • Journal Title: Current Opinion in Plant Biology Volume: 61 Pages: 102009-102009
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] TERMINAL FLOWER1-FD complex target genes and competition with FLOWERING LOCUS T. (2020)
  • Author(s): Zhu, Y., Klasfeld, S., Jeong, CW., Jin, R., Goto, K., Yamaguchi, N., and Wagner, D.
  • Journal Title: Nature Communications Volume: 11 Pages: 5118-5118
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Removal of repressive histone marks creates epigenetic memory of recurring heat in Arabidopsis. (2020)
  • Author(s): Yamaguchi, N., Matsubara, S., Yoshimizu, K., Seki, M., Hamada, K., Kamitani, M., Kurita, Y., Inagaki, S., Suzuki, T., Gan, E.-S., To, T., Kakutani, T., Nagano, A.J., Satake, A., and Ito, T.
  • Journal Title: bioRxiv Volume: -
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Morphological and physiological framework underlying plant longevity in Arabidopsis thaliana. (2020)
  • Author(s): Wang, Y., Kumaishi, K., Suzuki, T., Ichihashi, Y., Yamaguchi, N., Shirakawa, M., and Ito, T.
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Plant Science Volume: 11 Pages: 600726-600726
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Histone demethylases coordinate the Antagonistic interaction between abscisic acid and brassinosteroid signaling in Arabidopsis. (2020)
  • Author(s): Wu, J., Yan, M., Zhang, D., Zhou, D., Yamaguchi, N., and Ito, T.
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Plant Science Volume: 11 Pages: 596835-596835
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Abscisic acid-dependent histone demethylation during postgermination growth arrest in Arabidopsis. (2019)
  • Author(s): Wu, J., Ichihashi, Y., Suzuki, T., Shibata, A., Shirasu, K., Yamaguchi, N. and Ito T.
  • Journal Title: Plant Cell and Environment Volume: 42 Pages: 2198-2214
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] istone demethylases control root elongation in response to stress-signaling hormone abscisic acid. (2019)
  • Author(s): Wu, J., Yamaguchi, N. and Ito T.
  • Journal Title: Plant Signaling and Behavior Volume: 14 Pages: 1604019-1604019
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] When to stop: an update on molecular mechanisms of floral meristem termination. (2019)
  • Author(s): Xu Y., Yamaguchi, N. Gan, E-S., and Ito, T.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Experimental Botany Volume: 70 Pages: 1711-1718
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Integration of transcriptional repression and Polycomb-mediated silencing of WUSCHEL in floral meristems. (2019)
  • Author(s): Sun, B., Zhou, Y., Cai, J., Shang E., Yamaguchi, N., Xiao, J., Looi, L-S., Wee W-Y., Gao, X., Wagner, D., and Ito, T.
  • Journal Title: Plant Cell Volume: 31 Pages: 1488-1505
  • NAID: 120006726651
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The roles of plant hormones and their interactions with regulatory genes in determining meristem activity. (2019)
  • Author(s): Ze Hong, L., Hirakawa, T., Yamaguchi, N., Ito, T.
  • Journal Title: International Journals of Molecular Sciences Volume: 20 Pages: 4065-4065
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Lateral root initiation requires the sequential induction of transcription factors LBD16 and PUCHI in Arabidopsis thaliana. (2019)
  • Author(s): Goh, T., Toyokura, K., Yamaguchi, N., Okamoto, T., Uehara, T., Kaneko, S., Takebayashi, Y., Kasahara, H., Ikeyama, Y., Okushima, Y., Nakajima, K., Mimura, T., Tasaka, M., and Fukaki, H.
  • Journal Title: New Phytologist Volume: 222 Pages: 2-2
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] CRABS CLAW and SUPERMAN coordinate hormone-, stress-, and metabolic-related gene expression during Arabidopsis stamen development. (2019)
  • Author(s): Ze Hong, L., Tatsumi, Y., Ichihashi, Y., Suzuki, T., Shibata, A., Shirasu, K., Yamaguchi, N. and Ito T.
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Volume: 7 Pages: 437-437
  • Peer Reviewed