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Kaya C, Uğurlar F, Adamakis IDS. Epigenetic Modifications of Hormonal Signaling Pathways in Plant Drought Response and Tolerance for Sustainable Food Security. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:8229. [PMID: 39125799 PMCID: PMC11311266 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25158229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2024] [Revised: 07/25/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Drought significantly challenges global food security, necessitating a comprehensive understanding of plant molecular responses for effective mitigation strategies. Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, are key in regulating genes and hormones essential for drought response. While microRNAs (miRNAs) primarily regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally, they can also interact with epigenetic pathways as potential effectors that influence chromatin remodeling. Although the role of miRNAs in epigenetic memory is still being explored, understanding their contribution to drought response requires examining these indirect effects on epigenetic modifications. A key aspect of this exploration is epigenetic memory in drought-adapted plants, offering insights into the transgenerational inheritance of adaptive traits. Understanding the mechanisms that govern the maintenance and erasure of these epigenetic imprints provides nuanced insights into how plants balance stability and flexibility in their epigenomes. A major focus is on the dynamic interaction between hormonal pathways-such as those for abscisic acid (ABA), ethylene, jasmonates, and salicylic acid (SA)-and epigenetic mechanisms. This interplay is crucial for fine-tuning gene expression during drought stress, leading to physiological and morphological adaptations that enhance plant drought resilience. This review also highlights the transformative potential of advanced technologies, such as bisulfite sequencing and CRISPR-Cas9, in providing comprehensive insights into plant responses to water deficit conditions. These technologies pave the way for developing drought-tolerant crops, which is vital for sustainable agriculture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cengiz Kaya
- Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Department, Harran University, Sanliurfa 63200, Turkey; (C.K.); (F.U.)
| | - Ferhat Uğurlar
- Soil Science and Plant Nutrition Department, Harran University, Sanliurfa 63200, Turkey; (C.K.); (F.U.)
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Williams BR, Miller AJ, Edwards CE. How do threatened plant species with low genetic diversity respond to environmental stress? Insights from comparative conservation epigenomics and phenotypic plasticity. Mol Ecol Resour 2023. [PMID: 37988186 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Many threatened plants have low genetic diversity, which may reduce their capacity for genetically based adaptation, increasing their extinction risk. Non-genetic variation (e.g. epigenomic modifications such as DNA methylation) and plasticity may facilitate the persistence of threatened plants, yet are rarely incorporated into conservation assessments. We present a case study investigating variation and plasticity in DNA methylation and phenotypic traits in four genetically depauperate species of Leavenworthia (Brassicaceae), including one widespread species and one asexual, threatened species. We grew individuals from several maternal lines and populations per species in contrasting watering treatments, measured phenotypic traits and analysed DNA methylation using whole-genome bisulphite sequencing. We addressed four questions: (1) How do patterns of DNA methylation differ within and among species? (2) Within species, how do phenotypic traits and patterns of DNA methylation vary in response to drought? (3) Does variation in DNA methylation correspond to phenotypic variation? (4) What are the implications for conservation? We found that taxa were epigenomically distinct and that each species exhibited variation in DNA methylation among populations that could be relevant for conservation. Within species, the DNA methylation response to environmental stress corresponded to its phenotypic response. Species differed in their DNA methylation and phenotypic responses to environmental stress, with the extent of plasticity possibly related to species geographic range size. We also found phenotypic and DNA methylation variation in the asexual, threatened species that may be relevant for conservation. Our results suggest that variation in DNA methylation may promote the persistence of genetically depauperate threatened plants, highlighting its potential as a novel conservation target to reduce extinction risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigette R Williams
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Allison J Miller
- Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Christine E Edwards
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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Yang Y. Editorial: Molecular dissection of the genetic basis underlying plant complex traits. Front Genet 2023; 14:1256218. [PMID: 37576551 PMCID: PMC10420124 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1256218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Yuchen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
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Singh P, Ansari N, Rai SP, Agrawal M, Agrawal SB. Effect of elevated ozone on the antioxidant response, genomic stability, DNA methylation pattern and yield in three species of Abelmoschus having different ploidy levels. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:59401-59423. [PMID: 37004611 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26538-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The majority of polyploids can withstand many stresses better than their monoploid counterparts; however, there is no proven mechanism that can fully explain the level of tolerance at the biochemical and molecular levels. Here, we make an effort to provide an explanation for this intriguing but perplexing issue using the antioxidant responses, genomic stability, DNA methylation pattern and yield in relation to ploidy level under the elevated level of ozone in Abelmoschus cytotypes. The outcome of this study inferred that the elevated ozone causes an increase in reactive oxygen species leading to enhanced lipid peroxidation, DNA damage and DNA de-methylation in all the Abelmoschus cytotypes. The monoploid cytotype of Abelmoschus, that is Abelmoschus moschatus L., experienced the highest oxidative stress under elevated O3, resulting in maximum DNA damage and DNA de-methylation leading to the maximum reduction in yield. While the diploid (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) and triploid (Abelmoschus caillei A. Chev.) cytotypes of Abelmoschus with lower oxidative stress result in lesser DNA damage and DNA de-methylation which ultimately leads to lower yield reduction. The result of this experiment explicitly revealed that polyploidy confers better adaptability in the case of Abelmoschus cytotypes under ozone stress. This study can further be used as a base to understand the mechanism behind the ploidy-induced stress tolerance in other plants mediated by gene dosage effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Singh
- Laboratory of Air Pollution and Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Naushad Ansari
- Laboratory of Air Pollution and Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shashi Pandey Rai
- Laboratory of Morphogenesis, Centre of Advance Study in Botany, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Madhoolika Agrawal
- Laboratory of Air Pollution and Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Shashi Bhushan Agrawal
- Laboratory of Air Pollution and Climate Change, Department of Botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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Vogt G. Environmental Adaptation of Genetically Uniform Organisms with the Help of Epigenetic Mechanisms-An Insightful Perspective on Ecoepigenetics. EPIGENOMES 2022; 7:1. [PMID: 36648862 PMCID: PMC9844400 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes7010001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Organisms adapt to different environments by selection of the most suitable phenotypes from the standing genetic variation or by phenotypic plasticity, the ability of single genotypes to produce different phenotypes in different environments. Because of near genetic identity, asexually reproducing populations are particularly suitable for the investigation of the potential and molecular underpinning of the latter alternative in depth. Recent analyses on the whole-genome scale of differently adapted clonal animals and plants demonstrated that epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs are among the molecular pathways supporting phenotypic plasticity and that epigenetic variation is used to stably adapt to different environments. Case studies revealed habitat-specific epigenetic fingerprints that were maintained over subsequent years pointing at the existence of epigenetic ecotypes. Environmentally induced epimutations and corresponding gene expression changes provide an ideal means for fast and directional adaptation to changing or new conditions, because they can synchronously alter phenotypes in many population members. Because microorganisms inclusive of human pathogens also exploit epigenetically mediated phenotypic variation for environmental adaptation, this phenomenon is considered a universal biological principle. The production of different phenotypes from the same DNA sequence in response to environmental cues by epigenetic mechanisms also provides a mechanistic explanation for the "general-purpose genotype hypothesis" and the "genetic paradox of invasions".
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Affiliation(s)
- Günter Vogt
- Faculty of Biosciences, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 234, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Mahmood U, Li X, Fan Y, Chang W, Niu Y, Li J, Qu C, Lu K. Multi-omics revolution to promote plant breeding efficiency. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1062952. [PMID: 36570904 PMCID: PMC9773847 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1062952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Crop production is the primary goal of agricultural activities, which is always taken into consideration. However, global agricultural systems are coming under increasing pressure from the rising food demand of the rapidly growing world population and changing climate. To address these issues, improving high-yield and climate-resilient related-traits in crop breeding is an effective strategy. In recent years, advances in omics techniques, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, paved the way for accelerating plant/crop breeding to cope with the changing climate and enhance food production. Optimized omics and phenotypic plasticity platform integration, exploited by evolving machine learning algorithms will aid in the development of biological interpretations for complex crop traits. The precise and progressive assembly of desire alleles using precise genome editing approaches and enhanced breeding strategies would enable future crops to excel in combating the changing climates. Furthermore, plant breeding and genetic engineering ensures an exclusive approach to developing nutrient sufficient and climate-resilient crops, the productivity of which can sustainably and adequately meet the world's food, nutrition, and energy needs. This review provides an overview of how the integration of omics approaches could be exploited to select crop varieties with desired traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umer Mahmood
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaodong Li
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yonghai Fan
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Wei Chang
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yue Niu
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jiana Li
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Cunmin Qu
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
| | - Kun Lu
- Integrative Science Center of Germplasm Creation in Western China (Chongqing) Science City and Southwest University, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Engineering Research Center of South Upland Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China
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Singh AK, Mishra P, Kashyap SP, Karkute SG, Singh PM, Rai N, Bahadur A, Behera TK. Molecular insights into mechanisms underlying thermo-tolerance in tomato. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1040532. [PMID: 36388532 PMCID: PMC9645296 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1040532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Plant productivity is being seriously compromised by climate-change-induced temperature extremities. Agriculture and food safety are threatened due to global warming, and in many cases the negative impacts have already begun. Heat stress leads to significant losses in yield due to changes in growth pattern, plant phonologies, sensitivity to pests, flowering, grain filling, maturity period shrinkage, and senescence. Tomato is the second most important vegetable crop. It is very sensitive to heat stress and thus, yield losses in tomato due to heat stress could affect food and nutritional security. Tomato plants respond to heat stress with a variety of cellular, physiological, and molecular responses, beginning with the early heat sensing, followed by signal transduction, antioxidant defense, osmolyte synthesis and regulated gene expression. Recent findings suggest that specific plant organs are extremely sensitive to heat compared to the entire plant, redirecting the research more towards generative tissues. This is because, during sexual reproduction, developing pollens are the most sensitive to heat. Often, just a few degrees of temperature elevation during pollen development can have a negative effect on crop production. Furthermore, recent research has discovered certain genetic and epigenetic mechanisms playing key role in thermo-tolerance and have defined new directions for tomato heat stress response (HSR). Present challenges are to increase the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying HS, and to identify superior genotypes with more tolerance to extreme temperatures. Several metabolites, genes, heat shock factors (HSFs) and microRNAs work together to regulate the plant HSR. The present review provides an insight into molecular mechanisms of heat tolerance and current knowledge of genetic and epigenetic control of heat-tolerance in tomato for sustainable agriculture in the future. The information will significantly contribute to improve breeding programs for development of heat tolerant cultivars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achuit K. Singh
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Pallavi Mishra
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Sarvesh Pratap Kashyap
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Suhas G. Karkute
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Prabhakar Mohan Singh
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Nagendra Rai
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Anant Bahadur
- Division of Crop Production, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Tusar K. Behera
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Institute of Vegetable Research, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Rajpal VR, Rathore P, Mehta S, Wadhwa N, Yadav P, Berry E, Goel S, Bhat V, Raina SN. Epigenetic variation: A major player in facilitating plant fitness under changing environmental conditions. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1020958. [PMID: 36340045 PMCID: PMC9628676 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1020958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research in plant epigenetics has increased our understanding of how epigenetic variability can contribute to adaptive phenotypic plasticity in natural populations. Studies show that environmental changes induce epigenetic switches either independently or in complementation with the genetic variation. Although most of the induced epigenetic variability gets reset between generations and is short-lived, some variation becomes transgenerational and results in heritable phenotypic traits. The short-term epigenetic responses provide the first tier of transient plasticity required for local adaptations while transgenerational epigenetic changes contribute to stress memory and help the plants respond better to recurring or long-term stresses. These transgenerational epigenetic variations translate into an additional tier of diversity which results in stable epialleles. In recent years, studies have been conducted on epigenetic variation in natural populations related to various biological processes, ecological factors, communities, and habitats. With the advent of advanced NGS-based technologies, epigenetic studies targeting plants in diverse environments have increased manifold to enhance our understanding of epigenetic responses to environmental stimuli in facilitating plant fitness. Taking all points together in a frame, the present review is a compilation of present-day knowledge and understanding of the role of epigenetics and its fitness benefits in diverse ecological systems in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vijay Rani Rajpal
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Vijay Rani Rajpal, , ; Shailendra Goel, ; Vishnu Bhat, ; Soom Nath Raina,
| | | | - Sahil Mehta
- School of Agricultural Sciences, K.R. Mangalam University, Gurugram, Haryana, India
| | - Nikita Wadhwa
- University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Eapsa Berry
- Maharishi Kanad Bhawan, Delhi School of Climate Change and Sustainability, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Shailendra Goel
- Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Vijay Rani Rajpal, , ; Shailendra Goel, ; Vishnu Bhat, ; Soom Nath Raina,
| | - Vishnu Bhat
- Department of Botany, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
- *Correspondence: Vijay Rani Rajpal, , ; Shailendra Goel, ; Vishnu Bhat, ; Soom Nath Raina,
| | - Soom Nath Raina
- Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India
- *Correspondence: Vijay Rani Rajpal, , ; Shailendra Goel, ; Vishnu Bhat, ; Soom Nath Raina,
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