Crossing the Nuclear Divide: Metabolic Control of Chromatin in Stress Signaling 

Seminar Details

Host: Dr. Juan Dong

Time: 4:00 pm-5:00 pm

Location: BICH 108

Seminar Abstract

Cells rely on a constant dialogue between metabolism and the nucleus to adapt and survive under stress. Chromatin-modifying enzymes use metabolic cofactors to shape histone modifications, thereby reprogramming gene expression. This makes metabolism not just a supplier of energy, but also a direct regulator of the genome. Plants offer a powerful system to study this connection. The ethylene signaling pathway, a central regulator of growth and stress adaptation in Arabidopsis, provides a clear example. We discovered that EIN2, a key ethylene signaling component, directly influences histone acetylation (H3K14ac and H3K23ac) to reprogram gene expression. In ethylene-insensitive mutants, chromatin architecture is altered, blocking transcriptional responses. Strikingly, we also found that the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) can relocate to the nucleus, supplying acetyl-CoA to drive histone acetylation at stress-responsive genes. We focus on how ethylene signaling, chromatin regulation, and mitochondrial metabolism intersect to shape transcriptional responses to environmental stress. By uncovering these mechanisms, we reveal fundamental principles of how cells coordinate metabolic and chromatin states to adapt, with implications for resilience in both plants and broader biological systems.