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Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Chromatin Immunoprecipitation Assay for the Identification of Arabidopsis Protein-DNA Interactions In Vivo
Published on: January 14, 2016
Auxin-regulated chromatin switch directs acquisition of flower primordium founder fate
Miin-Feng Wu1, Nobutoshi Yamaguchi1, Jun Xiao1
1Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States.
Abstract:
Reprogramming of cell identities during development frequently requires changes in the chromatin state that need to be restricted to the correct cell populations. Here we identify an auxin hormone-regulated chromatin state switch that directs reprogramming from transit amplifying to primordium founder cell fate in Arabidopsis inflorescences. Upon auxin sensing, the MONOPTEROS transcription factor recruits SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling ATPases to increase accessibility of the DNA for induction of key regulators of flower primordium initiation. In the absence of the hormonal cue, auxin sensitive Aux/IAA proteins bound to MONOPTEROS block recruitment of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling ATPases in addition to recruiting a co-repressor/histone deacetylase complex. This simple and elegant hormone-mediated chromatin state switch is ideally suited for iterative flower primordium initiation and orchestrates additional auxin-regulated cell fate transitions. Our findings establish a new paradigm for nuclear response to auxin. They also provide an explanation for how this small molecule can direct diverse plant responses.
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