Heritable alteration in DNA methylation induced by nitrogen-deficiency stress accompanies enhanced tolerance by progenies to the stress in rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Mediation of seed provisioning in the transmission of environmental maternal effects in Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton)

“…Increasing evidence is accumulating that environmental maternal effects may be adaptive, enhancing the fitness of the offspring when established under environmental conditions that resemble the maternal environment (Galloway and Etterson, 2007;Herman and Sultan, 2011). This form of adaptive transgenerational plasticity has been reported in response to several biotic and abiotic environmental cues, including temperature (Yakovlev et al, 2010), drought (Herman et al, 2012), shade (Galloway and Etterson, 2007), nutrient availability (Kou et al, 2011), salinity (Boyko et al, 2010), herbivory (Rasmann et al, 2012) or viral infection (Kathiria et al, 2010). As a result of all these studies, environmental maternal effects are now recognized as a relevant source of phenotypic variation that may have an essential role in local adaptations (Herman and Sultan, 2011;Holeski et al, 2012).…”

Methylome analysis reveals an important role for epigenetic changes in the regulation of the Arabidopsis response to phosphate starvation

“…Plant responses to environmental stress include modifications in postembryonic development and metabolic reprogramming, which are highly dependent on the regulation of gene expression. It is well documented that gene regulation at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels plays an important role in plant stress responses; however, more recent evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms also play an important role in reprogramming gene expression in response to environmental cues and that epigenetic marks can serve as a priming mechanism to prepare future generations to better withstand biotic and abiotic stresses (1)(2)(3). These epigenetic marks include, but are not restricted to, posttranslational histone modifications and DNA methylation, a mechanism by which cytosine DNA methylation regulates the silencing and control of transposable elements (TEs) and repetitive sequences, genomic imprinting, and gene silencing.…”

“…These epigenetic processes can interact to orchestrate new heterochromatin states that modify gene expression [for reviews on these topics, see Mirouze and Paszkowski (6) and Chinnusamy and Zhu (7)]. The establishment of epigenetic modifications provides a mechanism capable of controlling and stably propagating potentially reversible gene activity states (3,8). Therefore, the epigenome is dynamic and can be effectively remodeled by environmental perturbations (9,10), developmental signals (11), and disease states (12) to enhance genome transcriptional plasticity.…”

Phosphate starvation induces DNA methylation in the vicinity of cis-acting elements known to regulate the expression of phosphate–responsive genes

“…[1][2][3][4] However, recent evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms also play an important role in modulating gene expression in response to environmental factors and that epigenetic marks can serve as a priming mechanism to prepare future generations to efficiently cope with biotic and abiotic stresses. [5][6][7] An important epigenetic mark is DNA methylation, a mechanism by which cytosine DNA methylation regulates the silencing of transposable elements (TEs) and repetitive sequences, genomic imprinting, as well as gene expression. The establishment of epigenetic modifications provides a mechanism capable of controlling and stably propagating potentially reversible gene activity states.…”

“…7,8 Therefore, epigenetic states are dynamic and can be effectively remodeled by environmental cues, developmental signals, and disease states to enhance genome transcriptional plasticity. 7,[9][10][11] Phosphorus (P) is an important macronutrient for all living organisms that is a critical component of nucleic acids and membrane phospholipids, as well as an essential element for energy-dependent metabolic processes. 12 Plants absorb P as inorganic phosphate (Pi), a chemical form of P with low availability and mobility in most soils.…”