Transcription-coupled and epigenome-encoded mechanisms direct H3K4 methylation

Abstract

Mono-, di-, and trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me1/2/3) are associated with transcription, yet it remains controversial whether H3K4me1/2/3 promote or result from transcription. Our previous characterizations of Arabidopsis H3K4 demethylases suggest roles for H3K4me1 in transcription. However, the control of H3K4me1 remains unexplored in Arabidopsis, in which no methylase for H3K4me1 has been identified. Here, we identified three Arabidopsis methylases that direct H3K4me1. Analyses of their genome-wide localization using ChIP-seq and machine learning revealed that one of the enzymes cooperates with the transcription machinery, while the other two are associated with specific histone modifications and DNA sequences. Importantly, these two types of localization patterns are also found for the other H3K4 methylases in Arabidopsis and mice. These results suggest that H3K4me1/2/3 are established and maintained via interplay with transcription as well as inputs from other chromatin features, presumably enabling elaborate gene control.