Histone H3 Dynamics Reveal Domains with Distinct Proliferation Potential in the Arabidopsis Root

Author Profile

Sofía Otero and Bénédicte Desvoyes

Highlighted Paper: Otero et al et al. (2016). Histone H3 Dynamics Reveal Domains with Distinct Proliferation Potential in the Arabidopsis Root. Plant Cell. Advance Publication May 20, 2015; doi:10.1105/tpc.15.01003.

Sofía Otero

Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate at The Sainsbury Laboratory (University of Cambridge), in the group of Yka Helariutta.

Education: PhD in Molecular Biology (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid).

Non-scientific Interests: Writing, reading, tweeting (@gene_tonic_), hiking, travelling, watching the latest tv series, fitness, animals (2 or 4 legs), the Mediterranean Sea, and chocolate.

Small details make a big difference. This is exactly the case with histone H3 family, where changing only 4 amino acids completely modify the dynamics and properties of the canonical H3, generating a more versatile variant. Not a lot was known about H3 variants in plants when I joined Crisanto's lab in 2010. The almost untouched field together with the amazing characteristics of histones soon captivated me. Indeed, histones are extraordinary proteins: they are in the nucleus, influencing DNA, and like the genetic material, are inherited. Trying to understand histone dynamics in the root we ended up understanding the root better: we not only finely classified meristematic domains, but also learned that cells cycle at different speeds along the root meristem. Again we show that chromatin seems to have a key role in developmental transitions. Although this research was carried out in Spain, where I was born some time ago, I currently live in Cambridge (United Kingdom). I am curious, enthusiastic and can sing in karaokes.

Bénédicte Desvoyes

Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate at Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Madrid, Spain..

Education: PhD in Life Science, University of Franche Comté, Besançon, France.

Non-scientific Interests: Reading, watching movies, hiking, wine tasting and experimental cooking.

After my Ph.D at the University of Franche Comté in plant biochemistry, I did a first postdoc in the plant virology field to study host/virus interaction at Texas A&M University, USA. Studying the plant side of the viral infection, I became more and more interested in plant development and when I came back to Europe I decided to move on to this field. I had the opportunity to join Crisanto Gutierrez's lab in Madrid, Spain. There, I became very interested in understanding how the cell cycle could influence plant development studying first the role of some specific transcription factors (Retinoblastoma/E2F pathway) in gene regulation networks and now, moving on to epigenetics, how chromatin dynamics can influence the proliferation/differentiation rate. In this project, we determined that histone H3 variants balance (H3.1 and H3.3) define different domains along the root coinciding with different cell cycle length.