The Mediator kinase module regulates transcriptional memory after heat stress by resolving blocked RNA polymerase complexes

In nature, plants are often exposed to recurring adverse environmental conditions. Acclimation to high temperature stress entails transcriptional responses that are mediated by heat-shock transcription factors (HSFs), and they are primed to better withstand subsequent stress events. This heat stress (HS)-induced transcriptional memory results in more efficient re-induction of transcription upon recurring HS. However, the mechanisms by which HSFs recruit and enact the transcriptional machinery remain unclear. Here, we identified two subunits of the kinase module of the Mediator transcriptional co-regulator complex, CDK8 and MED12, as regulators of HS memory in Arabidopsis thaliana. Enhanced re-induction of gene expression after recurrent HS and physiological HS memory, as well as H3K4 methylation are compromised in cdk8 and med12 mutants. HSFA2 interacts with CDK8 during and after HS and recruits it to memory gene loci, where CDK8 binds in the promoter but also the gene body, together with core Mediator and RNA polymerase II (Pol II). Our data suggest that CDK8 resolves stalled Pol II complexes or promotes efficient recycling for subsequent cycles of transcription. As HSFA2, CDK8 is largely dispensable for the initial induction of gene expression after HS and thus promotes transcriptional memory independently of HS-dependent primary gene induction. Our findings provide a model for the complex role of the Mediator kinase module during transcriptional memory in multicellular eukaryotes through interaction with transcription factors, chromatin modifications and promotion of Pol II productivity. Overall design: Gene expression comparison. Wild-type, hsfa2 and cdk8 mutants. Heat stress priming (P), treatment (T), priming and treatment (P+T) and controls. Three biological replicates.