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Author Spotlight: Polysome Profiling Protocol for Studying Translational Regulation in Arabidopsis Under Heat Stress
Published on: October 11, 2024
Histone variants and chromatin assembly in plant abiotic stress responses
Yan Zhu1, Aiwu Dong1, Wen-Hui Shen2
1State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PR China.
Abstract:
Genome organization into nucleosomes and higher-order chromatin structures has profound implications for the regulation of gene expression, DNA replication and repair. The structure of chromatin can be remodeled by several mechanisms; among others, nucleosome assembly/disassembly and replacement of canonical histones with histone variants constitute important ones. In this review, we provide a brief description on the current knowledge about histone chaperones involved in nucleosome assembly/disassembly and histone variants in Arabidopsis thaliana. We discuss recent advances in revealing crucial functions of histone chaperones, nucleosome assembly/disassembly and histone variants in plant response to abiotic stresses. It appears that chromatin structure remodeling may provide a flexible, global and stable means for the regulation of gene transcription to help plants more effectively cope with environmental stresses. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Histone chaperones and chromatin assembly.
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