Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of histone residues shape the landscape of gene expression by modulating the dynamic process of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription. The contribution of particular histone modifications to the definition of distinct RNAPII transcription stages remains poorly characterized in plants. Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq) resolves the genomic distribution of histone modifications. Here, we review histone PTM ChIP-seq data in Arabidopsis thaliana and find support for a Genomic Positioning System (GPS) that guides RNAPII transcription. We review the roles of histone PTM ‘readers’, ‘writers’, and ‘erasers’, with a focus on the regulation of gene expression and biological functions in plants. The distinct functions of RNAPII transcription during the plant transcription cycle may rely, in part, on the characteristic histone PTM profiles that distinguish transcription stages.

组蛋白残基的翻译后修饰（PTM）通过调节RNA聚合酶II（RNAPII）转录的动态过程来塑造基因表达的格局。在植物中，特定的组蛋白修饰对不同的RNAPII转录阶段的定义的贡献仍然很差。染色质免疫沉淀与下一代测序（ChIP-seq）相结合，可解决组蛋白修饰的基因组分布。在这里，我们回顾了拟南芥中的组蛋白PTM ChIP-seq数据并找到指导RNAPII转录的基因组定位系统（GPS）的支持。我们回顾了组蛋白PTM“阅读器”，“作家”和“橡皮擦”的作用，重点关注植物中基因表达和生物学功能的调节。在植物转录周期中，RNAPII转录的独特功能可能部分取决于区分转录阶段的特征性组蛋白PTM谱。