Evolutionary process of seasonal gene regulation by histone modifications

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K15164
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 45040:Ecology and environment-related
• Research Institution: Shiga University
• Principal Investigator: Nishio Haruki 滋賀大学, データサイエンス学系, 助教 (60802593)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 植物の環境記憶 / エピゲノム

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To elucidate the evolutionary process of the transcriptional memory mechanism by histone modifications, the principal investigator conducted periodic sampling and molecular experiments on natural individuals of several plant species representing evolutionary lineages (six species: Arabidopsis halleri and Camellia japonica in Angiosperm, Pinus densiflora in Gymnosperm, Selaginella remotifolia in Lycophytes, Dicranopteris linearis in Polypodiopsida and Ojagoke in Marchantiophyta). The six species were regularly sampled and molecular experiments were carried out on natural individuals growing along the Omoidegawa River in Taka-cho, Taka-gun, Hyogo Prefecture. Bioinformatics analysis was then used to investigate the seasonal dynamics of histone modifications in each plant. In particular, the evolutionary age of actively transcribed genes in Arabidopsis halleri was found to vary along with seasonal transitions.

Free Research Field

植物分子生態学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

植物が外部環境の変化を感知・記憶して遺伝子の働きを調節する仕組みの解明は、環境変動の激しい現代において、安定した作物生産につながる課題である。本研究における多様な植物を対象とした自然環境下における遺伝子制御の解明は、モデル植物を用いた室内研究からは得ることができない、新しい調節機構の発見や既知の仕組みの野外検証につながる。