Bernacka Klaudia, Achrem Magdalena, Kalinka Anna
Instytut Biologii, Uniwersytet Szczeciński.
Postepy Biochem. 2024 Sep 17;70(3):371-381. doi: 10.18388/pb.2021_514. Print 2024 Sep 30.
Epigenetics is a term that refers to the changes in gene expression that are heritable and induced by DNA methylation, histones post-translational modifications, or sncRNA, not resulting from the DNA sequence rearrangements. Epigenetic modifications influence gene expression, and thus, the plasticity of plants' development and phenotype in response to external and internal factors. Until recently, the only known epigenetic modification of the DNA in eukaryotic organisms was 5-methylcytosine. The growing interest in epigenetics and the development of sensitive detection methods enabled the discovery of other modifications of the DNA nitrogenous bases, i.e., 4-methylcytosine and 6-methyladenine. However, whilst research on the 5mC distribution and role in eukaryotic organisms is widespread, analyses regarding 6mA are scarced. Nevertheless, there are indications of a potential epigenetic role of 6-methyladenine in eukaryotic genomes. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms, which are triggered in response to environmental changes, is crucial for agriculture. This review shows epigenetic mechanisms, with particular emphasis on adenine methylation in plants, as well as the role of epigenetic variation in epibreeding, affecting the improvement of agronomic traits.
表观遗传学是一个术语，指的是可遗传的基因表达变化，这些变化由DNA甲基化、组蛋白翻译后修饰或sncRNA诱导产生，而非由DNA序列重排导致。表观遗传修饰影响基因表达，进而影响植物发育和表型对外部和内部因素的可塑性。直到最近，真核生物中唯一已知的DNA表观遗传修饰是5-甲基胞嘧啶。对表观遗传学的兴趣日益浓厚以及灵敏检测方法的发展，使得人们发现了DNA含氮碱基的其他修饰，即4-甲基胞嘧啶和6-甲基腺嘌呤。然而，虽然关于5mC在真核生物中的分布和作用的研究广泛，但关于6mA的分析却很少。尽管如此，有迹象表明6-甲基腺嘌呤在真核基因组中具有潜在的表观遗传作用。理解响应环境变化而触发的表观遗传机制对农业至关重要。本综述展示了表观遗传机制，特别强调了植物中的腺嘌呤甲基化，以及表观遗传变异在表观育种中的作用，表观育种影响农艺性状的改良。
