Ehd3调控水稻开花时间的表观遗传机制研究

表观遗传机制参与调控真核生物的细胞分裂与分化、生长发育以及环境适应等基本生物学过程。水稻开花是生殖发育的起始，合适的开花时间是确保水稻产量的重要因素。申请人最新的研究发现组蛋白H3K36甲基转移酶SDG724可以与水稻开花调控的关键因子Ehd3相互作用，而含有PHD结构域的Ehd3具体的功能目前仍然未知。本项目将利用生物化学、遗传学、结构生物学、生物信息学等多种研究手段，深入挖掘Ehd3的分子功能及其介导的表观遗传调控机制，解析Ehd3识别组蛋白修饰和结合SDG724的结构基础，寻找Ehd3与SDG724共同调控的靶基因，明确不同类型的表观遗传因子对靶基因的精准调控，从而阐明Ehd3调控水稻开花的分子机制。本项目的研究对揭示Ehd3调控水稻开花的表观遗传机制及完善相关遗传调控网络具有重要意义。

Epigenetic regulation is required for basic processes such as cell division and differentiation, growth and development, and environmental adaptation in eukaryotes. Rice flowering is the initiation of reproductive development, and proper flowering time is important for rice yield. Recently, we found that histone H3K36 methyltransferase SDG724 interacted with Ehd3, a key factor in rice flowering regulation, but the biological function of Ehd3, a plant homeodomain finger-containing protein, is still unclear. By using combined technologies of biochemistry, genetics, structural biology and bioinformatics, we aim to explore the specific functions of Ehd3 and its roles in epigenetic regulation. We plan to resolve the structural basis how Ehd3 recognizes histone modifications and binds to SDG724, to search the target genes co-regulated by Ehd3 and SDG724, to clarify the effects of different types of epigenetic factors on fine tuning of gene expression, and finally to discover the molecular mechanism of Ehd3 in rice flowering. Together, our project will provide important insight into molecular mechanism of epigenetic regulation in rice reproductive development and genetic regulatory network of rice flowering.