title: Epigenetic regulation in plant responses to the environment.
abstract: In this article, we review environmentally mediated epigenetic regulation in plants using two case histories. One of these, vernalization, mediates adaptation of plants to different environments and it exemplifies processes that are reset in each generation. The other, virus-induced silencing, involves transgenerationally inherited epigenetic modifications. Heritable epigenetic marks may result in heritable phenotypic variation, influencing fitness, and so be subject to natural selection. However, unlike genetic inheritance, the epigenetic modifications show instability and are influenced by the environment. These two case histories are then compared with other phenomena in plant biology that are likely to represent epigenetic regulation in response to the environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Baulcombe
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, Norwich NR4 7UH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dean
mesh_terms: D019175:DNA Methylation; D004777:Environment; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D020868:Gene Silencing; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000821:virology; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013269:Stochastic Processes
chemical_list: D006657:Histones; D063146:Polycomb-Group Proteins; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins