Chromatin attachment to the nuclear matrix represses hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana

The nuclear matrix was identified as a nuclear fraction in eukaryotic cells that offers a supporting scaffold for chromatin. While the structure is known in plant nuclei for decades, the distribution of regions attaching at plant nuclei, and how the nuclear matrix influences chromatin status is largely unkown. Here, we identify novel proteins, FRS7 (FAR1 RELATED SEQUENCE 7) and FRS12, attaching chromatin regions at the nuclear matrix in Arabidopsis thaliana. We found the above two proteins cooperate with AHL22 (AT-hook Motif Nuclear Localized 22) in repress hypocotyl elongation, by recruiting chromatin regions and histone deacetylases to the nuclear matrix and silence the genes. These findings shed light on understanding regulation and roles of the nuclear matrix influence in epigenetic and transcriptional regulation in Arabidopsis. Overall design: We analyze the function of nuclear matrix attachment in transcriptional regulation by RNAseq and MARseq