BdHD1, a histone deacetylase of Brachypodium distachyon, interacts with two drought-responsive transcription factors, BdWRKY24 and BdMYB22

Abstract

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play an important role in plant stress response. In Brachypodium distachyon, which is model species for molecular biology research on monocot plants, the histone deacetylase BdHD1, homologous to AtHDAC1 of the RPD3/HDA1 class, functions as a positive regulator in the plant drought stress response. AtHDAC1 has been found to interact with transcription factors to regulate gene expression. However, the drought-responsive transcription factors that interact with BdHD1 have not been identified yet. Previously, we identified BdWRKY24 and BdMYB22 as drought responsive transcription factors in Brachypodium. In this study, we used yeast two-hybrid (Y2 H) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays to show that BdHD1 interacts with BdWRKY24 and BdMYB22. Our findings provides a base to investigate BdHD1-transcription factor complexes in the context of drought stress response in Brachypodium.