Scientists have discovered that the "reader" of histone code regulates the molecular mechanisms of plant resistance

And Zhang Jinsong of the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences identified a special PHD zinc finger protein, GmPHD6, from soybeans. It belongs to the Alfin sub-class in PHD, which has transcription suppression, with the exception of GmPHD6. The study found that GmPHD6 must interact with LHP1 (isochrome protein) and rely on the transcriptional activation of LHP1 to regulate the expression of downstream salt-resistant genes.
the PHD zinc finger protein is also known as the "reader" of histoprotein code, because the PHD domain identifies different modified histoprotein H3. GmPHD6 recognizes H3K4me0/1/2, but not through the PHD domain, but through its N-side, which is different. In addition, the N-side of GmPHD6 identifies the initiaters of downstream genes. The PHD domain is responsible for the interaction with LHP1.
based on the above findings, the molecular regulation model of GmPHD6 is summarized: H3K4me0/1/2 may be associated with plant adversity regulation, they recruit GmPHD6, and GmPHD6 recruits LHP1 to form a transcription regulation complex. The complex targets downstream genes through GmPHD6 and activates downstream gene expression through LHP1, thus improving plant resilience.
this study is an important supplement to the regulation mechanism of PHD zinc finger protein, and provides an important theoretical basis for improving crop resistance. The study was published online September 5, 2017
. Wei Wei, a member of the research team, is the first author of the paper. The study was funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics. (Source: Science.com)