Comparative analysis of JmjC domain-containing proteins reveals the potential histone demethylases in Arabidopsis and rice

Histone methylation homeostasis is achieved by controlling the balance between methylation and demethylation to maintain chromatin function and developmental regulation. In animals, a conserved Jumonji C (JmjC) domain was found in a large group of histone demethylases. However, it is still unclear whether plants also contain the JmjC domain-containing active histone demethylases. Here we performed genome-wide screen and phylogenetic analysis of JmjC domain-containing proteins in the dicot plant, Arabidopsis, and monocot plant rice, and found 21 and 20 JmjC domain-containing, respectively. We also examined the expression of JmjC domain-containing proteins and compared them to human JmjC counterparts for potential enzymatic activity. The spatial expression patterns of the Arabidopsis JmjC domain-containing genes revealed that they are all actively transcribed genes. These active plant JmjC domain-containing genes could possibly function in epigenetic regulation to antagonize the activity of the large number of putative SET domain-containing histone methyltransferase activity to dynamically regulate histone methylation homeostasis.