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Epigenetics, a mode for plants to respond to abiotic stresses

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Frontiers in Biology

Abstract

Epigenetics has been becoming a hot topic in recent years. It can be mechanisms that regulate gene expression without changing DNA base sequence. In plants epigenetic regulation has been implicated to be a very important phenomenon and mechanism for the regulation of responses to environmental stresses. Environmental signals induce various epigenetic modifications in the genome, and these epigenetic modifications might likely be inherited to the next generation that behaves with enhanced ability to tolerate stresses. This review highlights recent advances in the study of epigenetics in plant stress responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Insititute of Crop Sciences/National Key Facility for Crop Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China

    Weihua Qiao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research, Genetic Engineering Peking-Yale Joint Center of Plant Molecular Genetics and Agro-biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Liumin Fan

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  1. Weihua Qiao
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  2. Liumin Fan
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Correspondence to Weihua Qiao or Liumin Fan.

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Qiao, W., Fan, L. Epigenetics, a mode for plants to respond to abiotic stresses. Front. Biol. 6, 477–481 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11515-011-1128-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11515-011-1128-4

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