A hit-and-run heat shock factor governs sustained histone methylation and transcriptional stress memory.

ABSTRACT: In nature, plants often encounter chronic or recurring stressful conditions. Recent results indicate that plants can remember a past exposure to stress to be better prepared for a future stress incident. However, the molecular basis of this is poorly understood. Here, we report the involvement of chromatin modifications in the maintenance of acquired thermotolerance (heat stress [HS] memory). HS memory is associated with the accumulation of histone H3 lysine 4 di- and trimethylation at memory-related loci. This accumulation outlasts their transcriptional activity and marks them as recently transcriptionally active. High accumulation of H3K4 methylation is associated with hyper-induction of gene expression upon a recurring HS. This transcriptional memory and the sustained accumulation of H3

SUBMITTER: Lamke J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4718455 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature