Histone deacetylase (HDAC), which regulates cell proliferation, cell diferentiation and apoptosis, is one of the hot topics in biology in recent years, but rarely reported in woody plants.

ObjectiveIn this study, the change of gene expression profile was investigated by treating the poplar suspension cells with TSA to change the level of histone acetylation in cells.

MethodThe suspension cells were treated with 0.5 μmol/L TSA for ten days and were collected for RNA-Seq analysis. Then the gene expression differences were compared between TSA-treated cells and control group suspension cells.

ResultThe cells in the control group were homogeneous and oval, while the cells after TSA treatment were round and elongated by microscope observation. 4 465 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained by the transcriptome analysis, of which 2 363 genes were up-regulated and 2 102 genes were down-regulated. Differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in cell cycle, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, cell wall structure and acetylation.

ConclusionBy analyzing the difference of gene expression between TSA-treated and control group suspension cells, our results suggest that TSA can directly or indirectly affect genes that regulate cell growth, cell wall structure and lignin synthesis pathway through affecting the level of histone acetylation, which provide evidence for understanding of histone acetylation on plant growth and development.