Mutually exclusive sense-antisense transcription at FLC facilitates environmentally induced gene repression

Antisense transcription through genic regions is pervasive in most genomes; however, its functional significance is still unclear. We are studying the role of antisense transcripts (COOLAIR) in the cold-induced, epigenetic silencing of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a regulator of the transiti...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Nature communications 2016-10, Vol.7 (1), p.13031-13031, Article 13031
Main Authors:	Rosa, Stefanie, Duncan, Susan, Dean, Caroline
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Arabidopsis - genetics Arabidopsis - metabolism Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics Cold Temperature Epigenetics Flowers - genetics Gene Expression Regulation, Plant - genetics Histones - metabolism Localization MADS Domain Proteins - genetics Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics Proteins Research parks RNA, Antisense - genetics RNA, Messenger - genetics Transcription, Genetic - genetics Transcriptional Activation
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	Antisense transcription through genic regions is pervasive in most genomes; however, its functional significance is still unclear. We are studying the role of antisense transcripts (COOLAIR) in the cold-induced, epigenetic silencing of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC), a regulator of the transition to reproduction. Here we use single-molecule RNA FISH to address the mechanistic relationship of FLC and COOLAIR transcription at the cellular level. We demonstrate that while sense and antisense transcripts can co-occur in the same cell they are mutually exclusive at individual loci. Cold strongly upregulates COOLAIR transcription in an increased number of cells and through the mutually exclusive relationship facilitates shutdown of sense FLC transcription in cis. COOLAIR transcripts form dense clouds at each locus, acting to influence FLC transcription through changed H3K36me3 dynamics. These results may have general implications for other loci showing both sense and antisense transcription.
ISSN:	2041-1723 2041-1723