Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 6, 2026

Floral-dip Transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana to Examine pTSO2::β-glucuronidase Reporter Gene Expression
Published on: June 11, 2010
EBS is a bivalent histone reader that regulates floral phase transition in Arabidopsis
Zhenlin Yang1,2, Shuiming Qian3,4, Ray N Scheid3,4
1National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
The ability of cells to perceive and translate versatile cues into differential chromatin and transcriptional states is critical for many biological processes1-5. In plants, timely transition to a flowering state is crucial for successful reproduction6-9. EARLY BOLTING IN SHORT DAY (EBS) is a negative transcriptional regulator that prevents premature flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana10,11. We found that EBS contains bivalent bromo-adjacent homology (BAH)-plant homeodomain (PHD) reader modules that bind H3K27me3 and H3K4me3, respectively. We observed co-enrichment of a subset of EBS-associated genes with H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and Polycomb repressor complex 2 (PRC2). Notably, EBS adopted an autoinhibition mode to mediate its switch in binding preference between H3K27me3 and H3K4me3. This binding balance was critical because disruption of either EBS-H3K27me3 or EBS-H3K4me3 interaction induced early floral transition. Our results identify a bivalent chromatin reader capable of recognizing two antagonistic histone marks, and we propose a distinct mechanism of interaction between active and repressive chromatin states.
Related Concept Videos
Phase Transitions
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
Histone Modification
Acetylation
The enzyme histone acetyltransferase adds acetyl group to the histones. Another enzyme, histone...
Histone Variants at the Centromere

