Regulatory Role of DNA Methylation and Its Significance in Plants
Rao Saad Rehman *
College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.
Mujahid Ali
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
Syed Ali Zafar
Oilseeds Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Hassan Bashir
Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Sub Campus Burewala-Vehari, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Asad Nadeem Pasha
Department of Plant Pathology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
Abdullah Javed
Department of Seed Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Naveed Ali Ashraf
Department of Seed Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.
Waqar Ali Shah
Department of Seed Science and Technology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
DNA methylation is a well-known epigenetic modification that is essential for gene regulation and genome stability. Anomalies in plant development can result from aberrant DNA methylation patterns. DNA methylation is much more important in plants with more complicated genomes when it comes to growth and abiotic stress tolerance. Dynamic regulation via de novo methylation, maintenance of methylation, and active demethylation, which are catalysed by diverse enzymes that are targeted by different regulatory mechanisms, results in a unique DNA methylation state. We explain DNA methylation in plants, including methylating and demethylating enzymes and regulatory changes, as well as the coordination of methylation and demethylation activities by a mechanism known as the methylstat. We also explain the roles of DNA methylation in regulating transposon silencing, gene expression, and chromosome interactions, as well as the intervention of DNA methylation in plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses.
Keywords: Transposon silencing, epialleles, DNA demethylases, epigenetic alterations, RNA-directed DNA methylation, gene expression