PARG1 and EXA1 genes as possible components of the facultative epigenetic control of plant development

Abstract Plants are able to adjust their developmental program in response to incremental environmental changes by reprogramming the epigenomes of the cells. This process, known as facultative epigenetic developmental control, underlies plant developmental plasticity and the amazing diversity of morphotypes, which arises from the changes in cell fates. How plants determine when epigenome reprogramming should occur is largely unclear. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis PARG1 and EXA1 genes, encoding poly(ADP‐ribose) glycohydrolase and GYF domain protein involved in nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay, respectively, act synergistically in maintaining leaf cell identity. Loss of their function in Arabidopsis tae mutant triggers autoimmunity and wounding response, alters transcription of a number of epigenetic regulators, initiates the acquisition of pluripotency by cells of the developed leaf and ectopic outgrowths and buds formation. The dependence of the cell fate on the activity level of PARG1 and EXA1 genes indicates that these interacting genes may function as an important regulator of facultative epigenetic control of plant development.