Premium
Epigenetic memory in plants
Author(s) -
Iwasaki Mayumi,
Paszkowski Jerzy
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.15252/embj.201488883
Subject(s) - epigenetics , biology , chromatin , histone , genetics , dna methylation , epigenetic regulation of neurogenesis , epigenomics , epigenesis , meiosis , epigenetics of physical exercise , dna , microbiology and biotechnology , chromatin remodeling , gene , computational biology , gene expression
Epigenetics refers to heritable changes in patterns of gene expression that occur without alterations in DNA sequence. The epigenetic mechanisms involve covalent modifications of DNA and histones, which affect transcriptional activity of chromatin. Since chromatin states can be propagated through mitotic and meiotic divisions, epigenetic mechanisms are thought to provide heritable ‘cellular memory’. Here, we review selected examples of epigenetic memory in plants and briefly discuss underlying mechanisms.