JMJ14 is an H3K4 demethylase regulating flowering time in Arabidopsis

Histone lysine methylation plays an essential role in regulating chromatin functions such as transcription and heterochromatin formation. Histone H3 lysine 4 （H3K4） methylation is linked to active transcription [1, 2]. Recent findings in mammals have demonstrated that histone methylation is reversible by a family of Jumonji C （JmjC） domain-containing proteins. KDM5/ JARID1 family proteins have been shown to be able to demethylate H3K4mel,2,3 in mammals [3]. Previously, we identified six proteins in Arabidopsis showing high sequence similarity to KDM5/JARIDI family proteins [4]. Here we demonstrate that one such protein, JMJ14, is an active histone H3K4 demethylase and is involved in flowering time regulation.