Ion per se (e.g. DOG1 and FLC), or once germination had been induced (e.g. ABI3 and LEC2) (Fig. 4). SOM expression was most strongly down-regulated upon the completion of germination (Fig. 4). The “marker” genes, RAB18 and 2S1, showed the greatest decline in abundance during germination (Fig. S2). The switch from activating H3K4me3- to repressive H3K27me3-deposition was associated with a change in transcript level of the dormancy regulators (Fig. 4). We are thus able to discriminate between genes that are required for germination and genes involved in dormancy by their H3 methylation patterns. The former show a strong transcriptional up-regulation during germination that is associated with H3K4me3 deposition. This mark seems to be stable throughout further development and growth as it is also found in genome-wide H3K4me3 profiling studies using 10?0 day old seedlings [13,31,32]. The dormancy regulators were found to maintain H3K27me3 throughout the subsequent seedling stage [13,33,34]. The transition to another life phase is BI 78D3 directly reflected in a change at the chromatin level that is then maintained throughout further development. The cue for this life-cycle transition is the exposure of the imbibed seeds to low temperatures. The environmental temperature signal is therefore transduced to effect the observed chromatin changes. It is of interest to investigate whether the same patterns of histone modifications are transduced by other cues that effectively break seed dormancy such as afterripening. FLC deviates from the general pattern of a maintenance of repressive marks throughout the rest of the life cycle. Although this gene also showed a replacement of H3K4me3 by H3K27me3 during seed dormancy release by moist chilling and germination, FLC must be reset to an active state very soon after germination to fulfill its role as a negative regulator of flowering. However FLC has been tested both positive and negative for H3K27me3 in Arabidopsis plants, depending on natural variation, developmental state, and possibly growth conditions, respectively [28,34,35]. Recent work by R.R. de Casas et al. [36] shows that moist chilling of seeds leads to earlier flowering in the resulting plants independently of the dormancy status of the seeds. It is thus possible that the appearance of H3K27me3 on FLC is caused by exposure to low temperatures, and not by the physiological process of dormancy breakage per se. The exposure of seeds to moist chilling might thereby lead to FLC repression on the chromatin level such that earlier flowering is promoted in the adult plants. A. Angel et al. [37] have described a nucleation process that takes place on the FLC-locus during induction of flowering competence GHRH (1-29) site through vernalization: H3K27me3 accumulates slowly over weeks of cold exposure in one segment of the FLC gene in the sampling population. When plants are returned to warm conditions, the mark spreads over the whole gene depending on the length of period of cold exposure, and 
the presence of the mark is quantitatively correlated with FLC expression [37]. Moreover, the quantity of initial H3K27me3 deposition and spreading over the gene body is linked to polymorphisms at the cislevel that reflects the different need for cold temperature exposure in different accessions [35]. The required period of vernalization (for Arabidopsis accessions requiring this cue to trigger flowering) is typically much longer that the moist chilling period required for Arabidopsis.Ion per se (e.g. DOG1 and FLC), or once germination had been induced (e.g. ABI3 and LEC2) (Fig. 4). SOM expression was most strongly down-regulated upon the completion of germination (Fig. 4). The “marker” genes, RAB18 and 2S1, showed the greatest decline in abundance during germination (Fig. S2). The switch from activating H3K4me3- to repressive H3K27me3-deposition was associated with a change in transcript level of the dormancy regulators (Fig. 4). We are thus able to discriminate between genes that are required for germination and genes involved in dormancy by their H3 methylation patterns. The former show a strong transcriptional up-regulation during germination that is associated with H3K4me3 deposition. This mark seems to be stable throughout further development and growth as it is also found in genome-wide H3K4me3 profiling studies using 10?0 day old seedlings [13,31,32]. The dormancy regulators were found to maintain H3K27me3 throughout the subsequent seedling stage [13,33,34]. The transition to another life phase is directly reflected in a change at the chromatin 
level that is then maintained throughout further development. The cue for this life-cycle transition is the exposure of the imbibed seeds to low temperatures. The environmental temperature signal is therefore transduced to effect the observed chromatin changes. It is of interest to investigate whether the same patterns of histone modifications are transduced by other cues that effectively break seed dormancy such as afterripening. FLC deviates from the general pattern of a maintenance of repressive marks throughout the rest of the life cycle. Although this gene also showed a replacement of H3K4me3 by H3K27me3 during seed dormancy release by moist chilling and germination, FLC must be reset to an active state very soon after germination to fulfill its role as a negative regulator of flowering. However FLC has been tested both positive and negative for H3K27me3 in Arabidopsis plants, depending on natural variation, developmental state, and possibly growth conditions, respectively [28,34,35]. Recent work by R.R. de Casas et al. [36] shows that moist chilling of seeds leads to earlier flowering in the resulting plants independently of the dormancy status of the seeds. It is thus possible that the appearance of H3K27me3 on FLC is caused by exposure to low temperatures, and not by the physiological process of dormancy breakage per se. The exposure of seeds to moist chilling might thereby lead to FLC repression on the chromatin level such that earlier flowering is promoted in the adult plants. A. Angel et al. [37] have described a nucleation process that takes place on the FLC-locus during induction of flowering competence through vernalization: H3K27me3 accumulates slowly over weeks of cold exposure in one segment of the FLC gene in the sampling population. When plants are returned to warm conditions, the mark spreads over the whole gene depending on the length of period of cold exposure, and the presence of the mark is quantitatively correlated with FLC expression [37]. Moreover, the quantity of initial H3K27me3 deposition and spreading over the gene body is linked to polymorphisms at the cislevel that reflects the different need for cold temperature exposure in different accessions [35]. The required period of vernalization (for Arabidopsis accessions requiring this cue to trigger flowering) is typically much longer that the moist chilling period required for Arabidopsis.
