Polycomb Repressive Complexes and Their Roles in Plant Developmental Programs, Particularly Floral Transition

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Polycomb repressive complexes (PRCs) play a pivotal role in the growth and development of eukaryotes. The components of PRCs are well conserved among most eukaryotes, including humans and plants. PRCs-mediated gene silencing in plants has been intensively studied in an effort to capture molecular mechanisms underlying the epigenetic control of developmental programs. Thus, this review intended to describe current knowledge on PcG-mediated gene regulation which dictates many aspects of developmental programs including seed dormancy, leaf and floral organ development, floral transition, and embryogenesis processes. This review is divided into two parts. First, a general introduction of polycomb complexes in eukaryotes in terms of their composition and interacting partners is given. This review then discusses the role of polycomb complexes in the development of Arabidopsis plants, with particular focus placed on the current understanding of how PRCs target their target genes. In addition, this review covers the molecular details of PRCs’ role in well-studied vernalization-mediated floral transition in winter annual Arabidopsis plants.