Identification of a novel Arabidopsis mutant showing sensitivity to histone deacetylase inhibitors

Abstract

In the eukaryote nucleus, DNA wraps around histone cores and each core complex contains eight proteins including four pairs of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 protein. The histone tail can be modified to alter the interaction strength between the histone core and a given DNA region, resulting in a change in gene expression. Various types of histone modifications are known to be involved in a number of cellular responses. In this study, we identified and characterized a novel mutant based on a growth assay using histone deacetylase inhibitors in combination with auxin, and we have named the mutant sensitive to histone deacetylase inhibitors 1. Our results imply that histone acetylation plays an important role in shoot morphology and leaf production in Arabidopsis.