Levels of DNA methylation and histone methylation and acetylation change in root tip cells of soybean seedlings grown at different temperatures

In order to check whether changes in DNA and histone modifications occur in the nuclei of root tip cells of soybean seedlings grown 1) under control conditions (25 °C), 2) subjected to chilling stress (10 °C) and 3) recovered (25 °C) after chilling, measurements of fluorescence intensity with the use of antibodies to heterochromatin as well as to euchromatin markers were carried out. Moreover, the number and sizes of chromocentres were analyzed. The studies showed that during chilling stress the fluorescence intensity for the markers characteristic of heterochromatin increased while for the markers of euchromatin decreased in comparison to the control. After the recovery the converse situation was observed, i.e. increase in fluorescence intensity for euchromatin markers and decrease in heterochromatin markers. The number of chromocentres remained unchanged in the nuclei of all three studied variants. However, differences in the sizes of chromocentres were observed – the highest number of big chromocentres and simultaneously the lowest number of small chromocentres were in the nuclei of stressed plants. Conversely – in the nuclei of recovered plants there were the lowest number of big chromocentres and the highest number of small ones. The treatment of seedlings with the inhibitors of DNA methylation (5-aza-dC) and histone deacetylation (NaBu) also caused changes in fluorescence intensity and chromocentre sizes in soybean nuclei. These results suggest that DNA and histone modification patterns can be altered in soybean nuclei by different growth temperatures and by appropriate inhibitors influencing epigenetic chromatic modifications.

► Soybean root meristem nuclear chromatin undergoes modification under chilling and recovery.
► DNA methylation and histone deacetylation inhibitors alter epigenetic chromatin modifications.
► Chromocentre sizes vary during chilling stress and recovery.
► Chromatin modifications can influence chromatin condensation state.
► Chromatin modifications can change transcriptional activity of genes.