The R-Loop Atlas of Arabidopsis Development and Responses to Environmental Stimuli. Issue 4 (19th February 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Xu, Wei; Li, Kuan; Li, Shuai; Hou, Quancan; Zhang, Yushun; Liu, Kunpeng; Sun, Qianwen
• Is Part Of: The Plant Cell. Volume 32:Issue 4(2020)
• Page Start: 888
• Page End: 903
• Publication Date: 2020-02-19
• DOI: 10.1105/tpc.19.00802
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1040-4651

Abstract

Abstract : This study provides the landscape of R-loops in Arabidopsis during development and stress responses and lays the groundwork for future investigation of the diverse functions of R-loops. Abstract: R-loops are a common chromatin feature with essential functions in multiple cellular processes and diseases. However, little is known about the dynamic patterns of R-loops in a given organism. Here, using our recently developed genome-wide R-loop profiling method, we generated a comprehensive atlas quantifying the R-loop patterns of Arabidopsis ( Arabidopsis thaliana ) in 53 samples during development and during responses to environmental stimuli. The R-loop patterns were fairly stable in plants at the vegetative stage and in response to different light spectra and other environmental stimuli. Notably, the R-loops showed turnover during the plant life cycle, with patterns switching between generations. Importantly, R-loop dynamics was not strongly associated with RNA abundance, indicating that the mechanisms regulating R-loop formation and RNA accumulation are independent. We also observed enrichment of R-loops in transcription factor binding regions, suggesting that R-loops could function as potential cis -transcriptional regulators. This study provides an overview of R-loop dynamics in Arabidopsis during development and stress responses, highlights the unique dynamics of R-loops in the flowering plant Arabidopsis, and lays the groundwork for elucidating the functions of R-loops.