Scientists identified a molecular complex (ATX1-COMPASS-like) that controls when tree peonies wake from winter dormancy by chemically tagging DNA to switch on growth genes — a discovery that explains why adequate cold exposure and certain plant hormones are required before buds will break in spring.
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A specific histone mark called H3K4me3 — but not the related H3K4me1 or H3K4me2 — was the key epigenetic signal activated by both prolonged cold and gibberellin (GA3) treatment during dormancy release.
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Four proteins (PsWDR5a, PsRBL, PsASH2R, PsATX1) were upregulated by chilling and GA3, and overexpressing them significantly promoted bud burst by raising genome-wide H3K4me3 levels.
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The proteins assemble into a single functional complex where PsRBL acts as a molecular bridge and PsATX1 is the enzyme that writes the H3K4me3 mark, activating downstream growth genes including cell-cycle regulators (PsCYCD3.1, PsCYCD3.3) and a cell-wall loosening enzyme (PsBG6).
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