Epigenetic interaction of OsHDAC1 with the OsNAC6 gene promoter regulates rice root growth

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) modulate chromatin structure and transcription. Previously, we have shown that transgenic overexpression of OsHDAC1 gene alters the seedling root growth. In the current report, we have identified a group of genes that are transcriptionally repressed in the OsHDAC1 overexpressors (OsHDAC1(OE)) by performing a global profiling of root expressed genes. The OsNAC6 gene, a member of NAC family, was identified as a key component of the OsHDAC1 regulon and found to be repressed in OsHDAC1(OE). The root growth of OsNAC6 knock-out (OsNAC6(KO)) seedlings was observed to be similar to that of the OsHDAC1(OE) seedlings. Conversely, the root growth of the OsNAC6 overexpressors (OsNAC6(OE)) was similar to that of the OsHDAC1 knock-out (OsHDAC1(KO)) seedlings. We further demonstrated that OsHDAC1 interact with the OsNAC6 gene promoter at a epigenetic level by deacetylating K9, K14 and K18 on H3 and K5, K12 and K16 on H4. Overall, our results suggest that OsHDAC1 represses the OsNAC6 gene expression, which is primarily responsible for the alteration of root growth of rice seedlings.