Flowering and Epigenetics

概要

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In vernalization, the effect of coldness which the plants perceived at early developmental stage emerges after they matured. The stable memory like this effect of coldness in vernalization is mediated by epigenetics which is regulated by DNA methylation and/or histone modification in the related genes followed by stable change in chromatin structure and gene expression.The expression of vernalization-integral gene, FLOWERING LOCUS C(FLC)of Arabidopsis thaliana is controlled by various epigenetical regulations. On the other hand, the involvement of epigenetics was not assumed for photoperiodic flowering because the flowering state in most of the plant species does not last long. In Perilla frutescens, however, once-induced flowering state is quite stable as the effect of inductive photoperiod lasts long even after the induced plants were moved to under non-inductive photoperiodic condition. This memory of inductive photoperiodic cycle suggests involvement of the mechanism similar to that in vernalization, namely epigenetics. Our study revealed that the treatment with a DNA demethylating reagent induced the flowering of P. frutescens and some other plant species, suggesting that photoperiodic flowering is also regulated by epigenetical mechanism. We summarize epigenetics in vernalization and also in the photoperiodic flowering.
日本植物形態学会の論文