Fig. 8. VEL3 associates with the HDAC complex and possibly also PRC2 in the female gametophyte to establish a maternal repressive epigenetic state on dormancy-associated genes (e.g., ORE1).

The distribution of H3K27me3 is stable and determines the expression level of targeted genes once they are activated during the maturation stage and during imbibition. At the stages of green maturation and dry seeds, in vel3 mutant thicker lines indicate stronger transcription of ORE1 due to the less condensed chromatin.