Epigenomics in stress tolerance of plants under the climate change

Abstract

During development and environmental stresses, plants experience genome-wide epigenetic alterations that are typically associated with differentiation in transcriptional gene expression. An epigenome is the aggregate of a cell's biochemical modifications in its nuclear DNA, post-translational changes in histones, and differences in non-coding RNAs' biogenesis. Differences in gene expression that take place without any change in the underlying nucleotide sequence are frequently caused by these changes. Chromatin remodelling that can epigenetically dictate particular transcriptional outputs and change the function/activity of the genome include post-transcriptional histone modifications, variations in histone proteins, DNA methylation, and activity of non-coding RNA. Epigenetic marks have a significant impact on how plants respond to environmental challenges, and recent developments in the field of major crop "-omics" have made it easier to identify these marks. The phenotypic plasticity of the organism is impacted by the epigenomic alterations, which are dynamic in response to any endogenous and/or external stimuli. After the stress is withdrawn, both changes in gene expression and epigenetic alterations may quickly return to their pre-stress states. Few epigenetic alterations, which have been related to acclimatisation, adaptation, and the evolutionary process, might be retained, though. For better use of genetic resources, epigenome engineering may be used to improve plants' ability to withstand stress. In this chapter, we have outlined recent epigenetic studies that may be crucial for enhancing crop resilience and adaptation to environmental changes, ultimately resulting in the development of stable climate-smart crops.

Unveiling the epigenetic landscape of plants using flow cytometry approach

“…As a result of the dynamic interaction of genetic codes, epigenetic systems become important regulators of how plants respond to such environmental stressors [2]. Notably, changes to the histone structure and DNA methylation have the power to alter how stress‐responsive genes are expressed, having an impact on both transcriptional and post‐transcriptional processes by altering the chromatin landscape of these genes [3]. In response to abiotic challenges, transcription factors and RNA‐directed DNA methylation (RdDM) play a crucial role in modulating altered gene expression.…”

“…Without altering the DNA sequence itself, a number of chemical mechanisms that govern gene expression through epigenetic regulation leads to inheritable changes in gene activity [5]. These mechanisms cover a wide range of processes, including DNA methylation, histone protein modification, the incorporation of variations of histone proteins, change of chromatin structure, and the effect of noncoding RNA molecules [3, 6, 7] (Figure 1).…”

“…including DNA methylation, histone protein modification, the incorporation of variations of histone proteins, change of chromatin structure, and the effect of noncoding RNA molecules [3,6,7] (Figure 1).…”