A novel control strategy: Suppressing histone acetyltransferase ClHAC703 with curcumin to prevent germination of the invasive weed Cenchrus longispinus.

The invasive alien plant Cenchrus longispinus has caused severe ecological and agricultural impacts in China. Taking into consideration its seed germination characteristics, clustered community formation, and localized distribution, the present study proposes reducing population replenishment by inhibiting seed germination in heavily infested soils. This study demonstrated that 1 mM curcumin treatment could completely inhibit the germination of C. longispinus seeds. Curcumin directly binds to histone acetyltransferase ClHAC703 and suppresses the activity of histone acetyltransferases in C. longispinus, potentially through competitive substrate binding. ClHAC703 is shown to directly interact with the transcription factor ClWRKY29, which downregulates the expression of dormancy gene abscisic acid responsive element binding factor 1 (ClABF1). Notably, curcumin treatment upregulates ClABF1 expression. Based on structural modeling and molecular docking, it is predicted that the ClHAC703 may specifically catalyze the acetylation of histone H3 at lysine 18. This study investigates the potential of curcumin to inhibit the germination of the invasive weed C. longispinus and elucidates its underlying mechanism. The findings offer insights for developing effective control strategies against the spread of this species.