Local Changes in Chromatin Accessibility and Transcriptional Networks Underlying the Nitrate Response in Arabidopsis Roots.

Transcriptional regulation, determined by the chromatin structure and regulatory elements interacting at promoter regions, is a key step in plant responses to environmental cues. Nitrate (NO 3 −) is a nutrient signal that regulates the expression of hundreds of genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we integrate mRNA sequencing, genome-wide RNA polymerase II (RNPII), chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, and DNase sequencing datasets to establish the relationship between RNPII occupancy and chromatin accessibility in response to NO 3 − treatments in Arabidopsis roots. Genomic footprinting allowed us to identify in vivo regulatory elements controlling gene expression in response to NO 3 − treatments. NO 3 −-modulated transcription factor (TF) footprints are important for a rapid increase in RNPII occupancy and transcript accumulation over time. We mapped key TF regulatory interactions and functionally validated the role of NAP, an NAC-domain containing TF, as a new regulatory factor in NO 3 − transport. Taken together, our study provides a comprehensive view of transcriptional networks in response to a nutrient signal in Arabidopsis roots. NO 3 − treatments in Arabidopsis root produce changes in transcription factor (TF) footprints. This study mapped key TF regulatory interactions and validated the role of new TFs in the nitrate response in roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]