---
DOAJ_listed: '1'
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: gold
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '21158'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Vernalization-regulated flowering is vital for wheat yield and geographical
distribution, and the diversity of flowering time genes is essential for the breeding
of climate-resilient varieties. Sugars have long been recognized in regulating
flowering; however, the intrinsic connection between carbohydrate metabolism and
vernalization response remains largely unexplored. Here, we identify a fructose
1,6-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) encoding gene, HtL1/FBA10, as a modulator of heading
time variation based on a genome-wide association study utilizing wheat core germplasm
collections. Evolutionary analysis shows a decrease in the proportion of haplotype-2
of HtL1, which is linked to delayed flowering, in Chinese and American wheat varieties
compared to landraces. Vernalization reduces HtL1/FBA10 phosphorylation levels
and increases its O-GlcNAcylation, which in turn enhances its enzymatic activity
and facilitates VERNALIZATION 1 (VRN1) transcription by regulating histone acetylation
at the VRN1 locus. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into the interplay
between glucose metabolism and the epigenetic regulation of vernalization in winter
wheat.
acknowledgement: This work was supported by the Basic Science Center Project of National
Natural Science Foundation of China (32388201) to K.C and the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (31970331) to L.X. We thank Dr. Zhuang Lu, Dr. Bin Han and Ms.
Jingquan Li (Plant Science Facility of the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy
of Sciences) for their technical assistance in LC-MS/MS assay, small molecule compound
analysis and the subcellular localization assay, respectively. We thank Dr. Wei
Luo and Dr. Dongfeng Liu for helpful discussions.
article_number: '999'
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Pengfang
full_name: Yang, Pengfang
last_name: Yang
- first_name: Yangyang
full_name: Liu, Yangyang
last_name: Liu
- first_name: Qi
full_name: Dong, Qi
last_name: Dong
- first_name: Yuting
full_name: Miao, Yuting
last_name: Miao
- first_name: Jianlong
full_name: Zhang, Jianlong
last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Shujuan
full_name: Xu, Shujuan
id: 9724dd9d-f591-11ee-bd51-e97ed0652286
last_name: Xu
- first_name: Hong
full_name: Zhao, Hong
last_name: Zhao
- first_name: Yuda
full_name: Niu, Yuda
last_name: Niu
- first_name: Xueyong
full_name: Zhang, Xueyong
last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Yunyuan
full_name: Xu, Yunyuan
last_name: Xu
- first_name: Zifeng
full_name: Guo, Zifeng
last_name: Guo
- first_name: Lijing
full_name: Xing, Lijing
last_name: Xing
- first_name: Kang
full_name: Chong, Kang
last_name: Chong
citation:
ama: Yang P, Liu Y, Dong Q, et al. O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation modifications on
HtL1/FBA10 regulate wheat vernalization for flowering. Nature Communications.
2026;17. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-67734-0
apa: Yang, P., Liu, Y., Dong, Q., Miao, Y., Zhang, J., Xu, S., … Chong, K. (2026).
O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation modifications on HtL1/FBA10 regulate wheat vernalization
for flowering. Nature Communications. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67734-0
chicago: Yang, Pengfang, Yangyang Liu, Qi Dong, Yuting Miao, Jianlong Zhang, Shujuan
Xu, Hong Zhao, et al. “O-GlcNAc and Phosphorylation Modifications on HtL1/FBA10
Regulate Wheat Vernalization for Flowering.” Nature Communications. Springer
Nature, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67734-0.
ieee: P. Yang et al., “O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation modifications on HtL1/FBA10
regulate wheat vernalization for flowering,” Nature Communications, vol.
17. Springer Nature, 2026.
ista: Yang P, Liu Y, Dong Q, Miao Y, Zhang J, Xu S, Zhao H, Niu Y, Zhang X, Xu Y,
Guo Z, Xing L, Chong K. 2026. O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation modifications on HtL1/FBA10
regulate wheat vernalization for flowering. Nature Communications. 17, 999.
mla: Yang, Pengfang, et al. “O-GlcNAc and Phosphorylation Modifications on HtL1/FBA10
Regulate Wheat Vernalization for Flowering.” Nature Communications, vol.
17, 999, Springer Nature, 2026, doi:10.1038/s41467-025-67734-0.
short: P. Yang, Y. Liu, Q. Dong, Y. Miao, J. Zhang, S. Xu, H. Zhao, Y. Niu, X. Zhang,
Y. Xu, Z. Guo, L. Xing, K. Chong, Nature Communications 17 (2026).
date_created: 2026-02-08T23:02:48Z
date_published: 2026-01-27T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-02-12T14:34:24Z
day: '27'
ddc:
- '580'
department:
- _id: XiFe
doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-67734-0
external_id:
pmid:
- '41455723'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 9ae170ec70ba1ab56b6f1ffe67d1de7f
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2026-02-12T14:33:14Z
date_updated: 2026-02-12T14:33:14Z
file_id: '21223'
file_name: 2026_NatureComm_Yang.pdf
file_size: 4685882
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2026-02-12T14:33:14Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 17'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '01'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
publication: Nature Communications
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 2041-1723
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: O-GlcNAc and phosphorylation modifications on HtL1/FBA10 regulate wheat vernalization
for flowering
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
volume: 17
year: '2026'
...
---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: hybrid
PlanS_conform: '1'
_id: '19602'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: N4-methylcytosine (4mC) is an important DNA modification in prokaryotes, but
its relevance and even its presence in eukaryotes have been mysterious. Here we
show that spermatogenesis in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha involves two
waves of extensive DNA methylation reprogramming. First, 5-methylcytosine (5mC)
expands from transposons to the entire genome. Notably, the second wave installs
4mC throughout genic regions, covering over 50% of CG sites in sperm. 4mC requires
a methyltransferase (MpDN4MT1a) that is specifically expressed during late spermiogenesis.
Deletion of MpDN4MT1a alters the sperm transcriptome, causes sperm swimming and
fertility defects, and impairs post-fertilization development. Our results reveal
extensive 4mC in a eukaryote, identify a family of eukaryotic methyltransferases,
and elucidate the biological functions of 4mC in reproductive development, thereby
expanding the repertoire of functional eukaryotic DNA modifications.
acknowledged_ssus:
- _id: Bio
- _id: ScienComp
acknowledgement: We thank Sir Richard Roberts (NEB) for the kind gift of anti-4mC
antibodies. We are also grateful to the JIC Small Molecule Mass Spectrometry (Lionel
Hill) and Chemistry (Martin Rejzek) platforms as well as the High Resolution Metabolomics
Laboratory (Manfred Beckmann, Aberystwyth University) for their assistance with
LC-MS. Additionally, we acknowledge the assistance of the JIC Bioimaging Facility
and ISTA Imaging and Optics Facility for microscopy. Finally, we appreciate the
High Performance Computing resources provided by the ISTA Scientific Computing Facility
and Norwich BioScience Institute Partnership Computing Infrastructure. This work
was funded by a Sainsbury Charitable Foundation studentship (J.W.), a UKRI-BBSRC
Doctoral Training Partnerships studentship (BBT0087171 to J.T.), a European Research
Council Starting Grant (“SexMeth” 804981 to J.W., S.X., and X.F.), two Biotechnology
and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) grants (BBS0096201 and BBP0135111
to J.Z., M.V., and X.F.), an EMBO Long Term Fellowship (Y.L.), an ISTA Bridge Fellowship
(S.X.), and ISTA core funding (Y.Y. and X.F.).
article_processing_charge: Yes (via OA deal)
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: James
full_name: Walker, James
last_name: Walker
- first_name: Jingyi
full_name: Zhang, Jingyi
last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Yalin
full_name: Liu, Yalin
last_name: Liu
- first_name: Shujuan
full_name: Xu, Shujuan
id: 9724dd9d-f591-11ee-bd51-e97ed0652286
last_name: Xu
- first_name: Yiming
full_name: Yu, Yiming
id: 318e643b-8b61-11ed-b69e-aafa103ec8dd
last_name: Yu
orcid: 0000-0002-9919-7282
- first_name: Martin
full_name: Vickers, Martin
last_name: Vickers
- first_name: Weizhi
full_name: Ouyang, Weizhi
id: fec73395-8b60-11ed-b69e-927fda99c743
last_name: Ouyang
- first_name: Judit
full_name: Tálas, Judit
last_name: Tálas
- first_name: Liam
full_name: Dolan, Liam
last_name: Dolan
- first_name: Keiji
full_name: Nakajima, Keiji
last_name: Nakajima
- first_name: Xiaoqi
full_name: Feng, Xiaoqi
id: e0164712-22ee-11ed-b12a-d80fcdf35958
last_name: Feng
orcid: 0000-0002-4008-1234
citation:
ama: Walker J, Zhang J, Liu Y, et al. Extensive N4 cytosine methylation is essential
for Marchantia sperm function. Cell. 2025;188(11):2890-2906.e14. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2025.03.014
apa: Walker, J., Zhang, J., Liu, Y., Xu, S., Yu, Y., Vickers, M., … Feng, X. (2025).
Extensive N4 cytosine methylation is essential for Marchantia sperm function.
Cell. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.03.014
chicago: Walker, James, Jingyi Zhang, Yalin Liu, Shujuan Xu, Yiming Yu, Martin Vickers,
Weizhi Ouyang, et al. “Extensive N4 Cytosine Methylation Is Essential for Marchantia
Sperm Function.” Cell. Elsevier, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.03.014.
ieee: J. Walker et al., “Extensive N4 cytosine methylation is essential for
Marchantia sperm function,” Cell, vol. 188, no. 11. Elsevier, p. 2890–2906.e14,
2025.
ista: Walker J, Zhang J, Liu Y, Xu S, Yu Y, Vickers M, Ouyang W, Tálas J, Dolan
L, Nakajima K, Feng X. 2025. Extensive N4 cytosine methylation is essential for
Marchantia sperm function. Cell. 188(11), 2890–2906.e14.
mla: Walker, James, et al. “Extensive N4 Cytosine Methylation Is Essential for Marchantia
Sperm Function.” Cell, vol. 188, no. 11, Elsevier, 2025, p. 2890–2906.e14,
doi:10.1016/j.cell.2025.03.014.
short: J. Walker, J. Zhang, Y. Liu, S. Xu, Y. Yu, M. Vickers, W. Ouyang, J. Tálas,
L. Dolan, K. Nakajima, X. Feng, Cell 188 (2025) 2890–2906.e14.
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2025-04-20T22:01:28Z
date_published: 2025-05-29T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-04-28T13:36:51Z
day: '29'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: XiFe
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.03.014
ec_funded: 1
external_id:
isi:
- '001504744800006'
pmid:
- '40209706'
file:
- access_level: open_access
checksum: 0dcc2feb368dfe7c4890093366b2dacb
content_type: application/pdf
creator: dernst
date_created: 2025-12-29T13:40:32Z
date_updated: 2025-12-29T13:40:32Z
file_id: '20871'
file_name: 2025_Cell_Walker.pdf
file_size: 11622960
relation: main_file
success: 1
file_date_updated: 2025-12-29T13:40:32Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: ' 188'
isi: 1
issue: '11'
language:
- iso: eng
month: '05'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
page: 2890-2906.e14
pmid: 1
project:
- _id: bdb51a6e-d553-11ed-ba76-c2025f3d5725
call_identifier: H2020
grant_number: '804981'
name: Establishment, modulation and inheritance of sexual lineage specific DNA methylation
in plants
publication: Cell
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1097-4172
issn:
- 0092-8674
publication_status: published
publisher: Elsevier
quality_controlled: '1'
related_material:
link:
- description: News on ISTA website
relation: press_release
url: https://ista.ac.at/en/news/from-bacterial-immunity-to-plant-sex/
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Extensive N4 cytosine methylation is essential for Marchantia sperm function
tmp:
image: /images/cc_by.png
legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: ba8df636-2132-11f1-aed0-ed93e2281fdd
volume: 188
year: '2025'
...
---
OA_place: repository
OA_type: green
_id: '17285'
abstract:
- lang: eng
text: Winter plants rely on vernalization, a crucial process for adapting to cold
conditions and ensuring successful reproduction. However, understanding the role
of histone modifications in guiding the vernalization process in winter wheat
remains limited. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome and chromatin
dynamics in the shoot apex throughout the life cycle of winter wheat in the field.
Two core histone modifications, H3K27me3 and H3K36me3, exhibited opposite patterns
on the key vernalization gene VERNALIZATION1 (VRN1), correlating with its induction
during cold exposure. Moreover, the H3K36me3 level remained high at VRN1 after
cold exposure, which may maintain its active state. Mutations in FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT
ENDOSPERM (TaFIE) and SET DOMAIN GROUP 8/EARLY FLOWERING IN SHORT DAYS (TaSDG8/TaEFS),
components of the writer complex for H3K27me3 and H3K36me3, respectively, affected
flowering time. Intriguingly, VRN1 lost its high expression after the cold exposure
memory in the absence of H3K36me3. During embryo development, VRN1 was silenced
with the removal of active histone modifications in both winter and spring wheat,
with selective restoration of H3K27me3 in winter wheat. The mutant of Tafie-cr-87,
a component of H3K27me3 “writer” complex, did not influence the silence of VRN1
during embryo development, but rather attenuated the cold exposure requirement
of winter wheat. Integrating gene expression with H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 patterns
identified potential regulators of flowering. This study unveils distinct roles
of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in controlling vernalization response, maintenance, and
resetting in winter wheat.
acknowledgement: We thank Prof. Kang Chong from Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy
of Science for valuable comments, Dr. Haoran Li for the help with western blot of
H3K36me3 in Tasdg8-cr lines. This research was supported by National Natural Science
Foundation (31970529), Beijing Natural Science Foundation Outstanding Youth Project
(JQ23026), National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFD1201500),
and the Major Basic Research Program of Shandong Natural Science Foundation (ZR2019ZD15).
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Xuemei
full_name: Liu, Xuemei
last_name: Liu
- first_name: Min
full_name: Deng, Min
last_name: Deng
- first_name: Bingxin
full_name: Shi, Bingxin
last_name: Shi
- first_name: Kehui
full_name: Zhu, Kehui
last_name: Zhu
- first_name: Jinchao
full_name: Chen, Jinchao
last_name: Chen
- first_name: Shujuan
full_name: Xu, Shujuan
id: 9724dd9d-f591-11ee-bd51-e97ed0652286
last_name: Xu
- first_name: Xiaomin
full_name: Bie, Xiaomin
last_name: Bie
- first_name: Xiansheng
full_name: Zhang, Xiansheng
last_name: Zhang
- first_name: Xuelei
full_name: Lin, Xuelei
last_name: Lin
- first_name: Jun
full_name: Xiao, Jun
last_name: Xiao
citation:
ama: Liu X, Deng M, Shi B, et al. Distinct roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in vernalization
response, maintenance, and resetting in winter wheat. Science China Life Sciences.
2024;67:2251-2266. doi:10.1007/s11427-024-2664-0
apa: Liu, X., Deng, M., Shi, B., Zhu, K., Chen, J., Xu, S., … Xiao, J. (2024). Distinct
roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in vernalization response, maintenance, and resetting
in winter wheat. Science China Life Sciences. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-024-2664-0
chicago: Liu, Xuemei, Min Deng, Bingxin Shi, Kehui Zhu, Jinchao Chen, Shujuan Xu,
Xiaomin Bie, Xiansheng Zhang, Xuelei Lin, and Jun Xiao. “Distinct Roles of H3K27me3
and H3K36me3 in Vernalization Response, Maintenance, and Resetting in Winter Wheat.”
Science China Life Sciences. Springer Nature, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-024-2664-0.
ieee: X. Liu et al., “Distinct roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in vernalization
response, maintenance, and resetting in winter wheat,” Science China Life Sciences,
vol. 67. Springer Nature, pp. 2251–2266, 2024.
ista: Liu X, Deng M, Shi B, Zhu K, Chen J, Xu S, Bie X, Zhang X, Lin X, Xiao J.
2024. Distinct roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in vernalization response, maintenance,
and resetting in winter wheat. Science China Life Sciences. 67, 2251–2266.
mla: Liu, Xuemei, et al. “Distinct Roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in Vernalization
Response, Maintenance, and Resetting in Winter Wheat.” Science China Life Sciences,
vol. 67, Springer Nature, 2024, pp. 2251–66, doi:10.1007/s11427-024-2664-0.
short: X. Liu, M. Deng, B. Shi, K. Zhu, J. Chen, S. Xu, X. Bie, X. Zhang, X. Lin,
J. Xiao, Science China Life Sciences 67 (2024) 2251–2266.
date_created: 2024-07-21T22:01:02Z
date_published: 2024-10-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-08T08:15:08Z
day: '01'
department:
- _id: XiFe
doi: 10.1007/s11427-024-2664-0
external_id:
isi:
- '001268807700002'
pmid:
- '38987431'
intvolume: ' 67'
isi: 1
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
url: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.19.572364
month: '10'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
page: 2251-2266
pmid: 1
publication: Science China Life Sciences
publication_identifier:
eissn:
- 1869-1889
issn:
- 1674-7305
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer Nature
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Distinct roles of H3K27me3 and H3K36me3 in vernalization response, maintenance,
and resetting in winter wheat
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 67
year: '2024'
...