Epigenetic modifications and miRNAs determine the transition of somatic cells into somatic embryos.
Muthusamy RamakrishnanMingbing ZhouStanislaus Antony CeasarDoulathunnisa Jaffar AliTheivanayagam MaharajanKunnummal Kurungara VinodAnket SharmaZishan AhmadQiang WeiPublished in: Plant cell reports (2023)
This review discusses the epigenetic changes during somatic embryo (SE) development, highlights the genes and miRNAs involved in the transition of somatic cells into SEs as a result of epigenetic changes, and draws insights on biotechnological opportunities to study SE development. Somatic embryogenesis from somatic cells occurs in a series of steps. The transition of somatic cells into somatic embryos (SEs) is the most critical step under genetic and epigenetic regulations. Major regulatory genes such as SERK, WUS, BBM, FUS3/FUSA3, AGL15, and PKL, control SE steps and development by turning on and off other regulatory genes. Gene transcription profiles of somatic cells during SE development is the result of epigenetic changes, such as DNA and histone protein modifications, that control and decide the fate of SE formation. Depending on the type of somatic cells and the treatment with plant growth regulators, epigenetic changes take place dynamically. Either hypermethylation or hypomethylation of SE-related genes promotes the transition of somatic cells. For example, the reduced levels of DNA methylation of SERK and WUS promotes SE initiation. Histone modifications also promote SE induction by regulating SE-related genes in somatic cells. In addition, miRNAs contribute to the various stages of SE by regulating the expression of auxin signaling pathway genes (TIR1, AFB2, ARF6, and ARF8), transcription factors (CUC1 and CUC2), and growth-regulating factors (GRFs) involved in SE formation. These epigenetic and miRNA functions are unique and have the potential to regenerate bipolar structures from somatic cells when a pluripotent state is induced. However, an integrated overview of the key regulators involved in SE development and downstream processes is lacking. Therefore, this review discusses epigenetic modifications involved in SE development, SE-related genes and miRNAs associated with epigenetics, and common cis-regulatory elements in the promoters of SE-related genes. Finally, we highlight future biotechnological opportunities to alter epigenetic pathways using the genome editing tool and to study the transition mechanism of somatic cells.
Keyphrases
- induced apoptosis
- dna methylation
- copy number
- cell cycle arrest
- genome wide
- signaling pathway
- gene expression
- transcription factor
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- oxidative stress
- small molecule
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- single molecule
- pregnant women
- high resolution
- risk assessment
- bipolar disorder
- combination therapy
- crispr cas
- long non coding rna
- replacement therapy