Transcriptional and epigenomic changes in response to polyethylene glycol-triggered osmotic stress in Brassica napus L.

Drought hinders growth, development, and productivity of higher plants. While the physiological and molecular background of plant responses to drought has been extensively studied, the role of post-translational modifications of histones or DNA methylation in response to dehydration remains largely elusive. In this study, we deciphered genome-wide changes in transcriptome and histone modifications in response to dehydration in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). High-throughput transcript profiling (RNA-seq) and ChIP followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq) of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-treated rapeseed plants revealed genome-scale changes in transcription and histone methylation patterns, specifically in histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) and histone H3 tri-methylated lysine 27 (H3K27me3) sites. We have identified gene sets with altered transcript profiles as well as histone methylation marks in response to osmotic stress. Several proline biosynthesis regulatory genes coding for Delta 1-Pyrroline-5-Carboxylate Synthetases (P5CS) displayed changes in H3K4me3 and/or H3K36me3 enrichment post-PEG treatment. Targeted bisulfite sequencing further identified stress-dependent gene body DNA methylation in one of the BnP5CSA gene copies that correlates with its stress-induced activation. By integrating physiological, transcriptional, and epigenomic data, our study contributes to a better understanding of the drought response control in crop plants.