Epigenetic regulation on epidermal cell differentiation and root hair development in Arabidopsis.

BEYRNE, CECILIA CARMEN; IUSEM, NORBERTO DANIEL; GONZÁLEZ, RODRIGO MATÍAS

Rosario, Santa Fe

Congreso; L Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (SAIB); 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Bioquímica y Biología Molecular (SAIB)

Our goal is to elucidate the mechanisms of epigenetic regulation on gene expression related to cell differentiation and root hair formation in the root epidermis of Arabidopsis thaliana. To achieve this, we tuned up a protocol developed by Deal & Henikoff, to isolate purified nuclei from both trichoblasts (cells that form root hairs) and atricoblasts (cells that do not form root hairs). To determine the methylation marks on cytosines in specific loci known to be involved in the biological processes mentioned above, we will perform the bisulfite technique on total DNA from such purified nuclei. In addition, to identify the accompanying chromatin modifications, we will follow the Chromatin Immunoprecipitation procedure on the same purified nuclei. This course of action will be taken on both wild type and mutant lines knocked out in the genes encoding transcription factors involved in either root epidermal cell differentiation or development of root hairs. In this context, to study the influence of epigenetic marks on hair development, we will also investigate them in plants mutant for different DNA- or histone-methyltransferases displaying an overt phenotype regarding length, density or distribution of root hairs. So far, we found that plants mutants for VIM1 (cofactor of DNA methyltransferase) and KYP (a histone methyltransferase) exhibit root hairs shorter than those of WT plants.