Deep in shadows: Epigenetic and epigenomic regulations of medicinal plants

Publication date: Available online 4 May 2018Source: Chinese Herbal MedicinesAuthor(s): Da-Cheng Hao, Pei-Gen XiaoAbstractAround 60% of the extant plants have medicinal and health-promoting values. Genuine medicinal material (geoherb) is produced in particular geographic regions, that is defined ecological environment and cultivation pipeline. The clinical efficacy of a geoherb is superior to that of the same medicinal plant growing in other regions. The special medicinal features of a plant are determined by its genome, while the proper ecological conditions have major effects on the formation of a geoherb, which is at least partially mediated by the epigenetics. By epigenetics/epigenomics, researchers uncover the complexities of the influence of the environment on the expression of genes that control medicinal plant growth, development, stress responses, and medicinal phytometabolite yield, and put the other "omics layers" in a meaningful biological context. The unique phenotypes of geoherb are closely related to the growth, development, and stress responses of medicinal plants. In addition to the commonly known genetic control, epigenetic machineries, active at the population level, play an essential role in the formation of geoherbs. This contribution gives a comprehensive overview of the epigenetic regulation of medicinal plants, and the associated microbes, and the role of DNA methylation, small non-coding RNA, transposable elements, and histone modifications in the gen...
Source: Chinese Herbal Medicines - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research