Postembryonic development in plants relies on stem cells located within the shoot apical meristem. Male and female gametes are descendants of those stem cells and maintenance of genome stability in this pool of cells is thus fundamental. In-depth molecular analysis has so far been hindered by the tedious isolation of shoot apical meristem stem cells. […]
Spontaneous epimutations are stochastic and heritable changes of DNA methylation in genomes. In this review, Johannes and Schmitz discuss the molecular origins of spontaneous epimutations in plants as well as their functional and phenotypical consequences. The authors highlight that spontaneous epimutations are frequent in plant genomes and are likely induced by events interfering with the […]
Plant phenotypes are influenced by the nature and intensity of biotic interactions. While the role of genetic diversity has been extensively studied, contribution of epigenetics to plant fitness and response to biotic stresses remains elusive. The authors review here the most recent literature about the contribution of epigenetic marks such as DNA methylation and histone […]
This week’s edition is guest edited by Matthias Benoit, a postdoctoral Research Associate at The Sainsbury Laboratory University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the developmental, environmental and epigenetic regulation of tomato retrotransposons. His favorite models of study are fruit development and ripening, and abiotic stresses. He’s also engaged in teaching and communicating plant sciences. Plantae Profile. […]
Hybrid seed lethality represents a major reproductive barrier in angiosperms and facilitates species divergence over evolutionary times. Hybrid seed lethality is mainly due to defective endosperm development, leading to embryo arrest. Hybrid seed defects show a parent-of-origin effect, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, Lafon-Placette et al. assessed the contribution of […]
Domestication of crop plants is intimately linked to the modulation of the plants circadian rhythms, allowing adaptation to new agricultural environments. Deceleration of the clock has been instrumental in tomato domestication; however the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, Müller et al. identify a mutated allele of LNK2, together with the […]
Small RNAs (sRNAs) trafficking between host plant and pathogens can occur in a wide range on interactions. Pathogen-produced sRNAs have been shown to suppress host plant immunity, and conversely host plant-derived sRNAs can reduce pathogen virulence by targeting pathogenic genes of the pest. Nevertheless, mechanisms ensuring host/pest sRNAs transfer remain unclear. In this study, Cai […]
DNA methylation is fundamental for genome function and stability, including regulation of gene expression, silencing of transposable elements and control of recombination. While the processes involved in maintenance of DNA methylation are generally well understood, the factors required for locus-specific de novo establishment of DNA methylation remain unclear. In this study, Zhou et al. tested […]
Methylation at position N6 of adenosines (m6A) is the most abundant mRNA chemical modification. It influences gene activity at the post-transcriptional level and is thus important for development. m6A is decoded by reader proteins. While the repertoire of reader proteins has been extensively studied in animals, little is known about its biological relevance and evolutionary […]