DNA methylation profiling of Arabidopsis BR-regulated ces-D and ces-qM mutants II

While these immune responses are vital, they often also incur trade-offs, such as reduced growth and development and must therefore be tightly controlled 1,2. In this study, we reveal that the steroid hormones brassinosteroids (BRs) contribute to this control in Arabidopsis thaliana by epigenetically repressing immunity-related genes.

We provide evidence that the BR-regulated basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor CESTA (CES), along with its homologs BR ENHANCED EXPRESSION (BEE)1–3, mediate DNA methylation changes at transposable element (TE)-rich loci containing nucleotide-binding leucine-rich-repeat (NLR)-type receptor genes, including SUPPRESSOR OF NPR1-1 CONSTITUTIVE 1 (SNC1). These CES-induced methylation changes are correlated with altered splicing of SNC1 pre-mRNA, a process that requires the BR receptor BR INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1).