A gene loop containing the floral repressor FLC is disrupted in the early phase of vernalization. (7th December 2012)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Crevillén, Pedro; Sonmez, Cagla; Wu, Zhe; Dean, Caroline
• Is Part Of: EMBO journal. Volume 32:Number 1(2013)
• Page Start: 140
• Page End: 148
• Publication Date: 2012-12-07
• Subjects: Molecular biology -- Periodicals; 572.805
• DOI: 10.1038/emboj.2012.324
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0261-4189

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Gene activation in eukaryotes frequently involves interactions between chromosomal regions. We have investigated whether higher‐order chromatin structures are involved in the regulation of the Arabidopsis floral repressor gene <italic>FLC</italic>, a target of several chromatin regulatory pathways. Here, we identify a gene loop involving the physical interaction of the 5′ and 3′ flanking regions of the <italic>FLC</italic> locus using chromosome conformation capture. The <italic>FLC</italic> loop is unaffected by mutations disrupting conserved chromatin regulatory pathways leading to very different expression states. However, the loop is disrupted during vernalization, the cold‐induced, Polycomb‐dependent epigenetic silencing of <italic>FLC</italic>. Loop disruption parallels timing of the cold‐induced <italic>FLC</italic> transcriptional shut‐down and upregulation of <italic>FLC</italic> antisense transcripts, but does not need a cold‐induced PHD protein required for the epigenetic silencing. We suggest that gene loop disruption is an early step in the switch from an expressed to a Polycomb‐silenced state.</p> </abstract>