title: Concerted Flexibility of Chromatin Structure, Methylome, and Histone Modifications along with Plant Stress Responses.
abstract: The spatial organization of chromosome structure within the interphase nucleus, as well as the patterns of methylome and histone modifications, represent intersecting layers that influence genome accessibility and function. This review is focused on the plastic nature of chromatin structure and epigenetic marks in association to stress situations. The use of chemical compounds (epigenetic drugs) or T-DNA-mediated mutagenesis affecting epigenetic regulators (epi-mutants) are discussed as being important tools for studying the impact of deregulated epigenetic backgrounds on gene function and phenotype. The inheritability of epigenetic marks and chromatin configurations along successive generations are interpreted as a way for plants to "communicate" past experiences of stress sensing. A mechanistic understanding of chromatin and epigenetics plasticity in plant response to stress, including tissue- and genotype-specific epigenetic patterns, may help to reveal the epigenetics contributions for genome and phenotype regulation.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Genomics of Plant Stress Unit. Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal. apsantos@itqb.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Genomics of Plant Stress Unit. Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal. lferreira@itqb.unl.pt.
authors.forename: Liliana J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Genomics of Plant Stress Unit. Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal. mmolive@itqb.unl.pt.
authors.forename: M Margarida
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
keywords: DNA methylation; chromatin structure; epi-drugs; epi-mutations; epigenetics; histone modifications