Plants are sessile organisms that must adapt to environmental conditions, such as soil characteristics, by adjusting their development during their entire life cycle. In case of low-distance seed dispersal, the new generations are challenged with the same abiotic stress encountered by the parents. Epigenetic modification is an effective option that allows plants to face an environmental constraint and to share the same adaptative strategy with their progeny through transgenerational inheritance. This is the topic of the presented review that reports the scientific progress, up to date, gained in unravelling the epigenetic response of plants to soil contamination by heavy metals and metalloids, collectively known as potentially toxic elements. The effect of the microbial community inhabiting the rhizosphere is also considered, as the evidence of a transgenerational transfer of the epigenetic status that contributes to the activation in plants of response mechanisms to soil pollution.

Epigenetic Control of Plant Response to Heavy Metals

Elisa Fasani;Serena Varotto;Diana Bellin;Antonella Furini
;
Giovanni DalCorso
2023-01-01

Abstract

Plants are sessile organisms that must adapt to environmental conditions, such as soil characteristics, by adjusting their development during their entire life cycle. In case of low-distance seed dispersal, the new generations are challenged with the same abiotic stress encountered by the parents. Epigenetic modification is an effective option that allows plants to face an environmental constraint and to share the same adaptative strategy with their progeny through transgenerational inheritance. This is the topic of the presented review that reports the scientific progress, up to date, gained in unravelling the epigenetic response of plants to soil contamination by heavy metals and metalloids, collectively known as potentially toxic elements. The effect of the microbial community inhabiting the rhizosphere is also considered, as the evidence of a transgenerational transfer of the epigenetic status that contributes to the activation in plants of response mechanisms to soil pollution.
2023
heavy metal tolerance
plant epigenetics
plant growth promoting bacteria
potentially toxic elements
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11562/1110367
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