Epigenetic regulation of adaptive responses of forest tree species to the environment

Katharina Braeutigam (1) , Kelly J. Vining (2) , Clément Lafon-Placette (3) , Carl G. Fossdal (4) , Marie Mirouze (5) , Jose Gutierrez Marcos (6) , Silvia Fluch (7) , Mario Fernandez Fraga (8) , M. Angeles Guevara (9) , Dolores Abarca (10) , Oystein Johnsen (11) , Stéphane Maury (3) , Steven H. Strauss (2) , Malcolm M. Campbell (1) , Antje Rohde (12) , Carmen Díaz-Sala (10) , María-Teresa Cervera (9)

1 University of Toronto
2 OSU - Oregon State University
3 LBLGC - Laboratoire de Biologie des Ligneux et des Grandes Cultures
4 The Norwegian Forest and Landscape Institute
5 CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
6 Sch Life Sci
7 AIT - Austrian Institute of Technology
8 Universidad de Oviedo [Oviedo]
9 INIA - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria = National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology
10 UAH - Universidad de Alcalá - University of Alcalá
11 NMBU - Norwegian University of Life Sciences
12 ILVO - Research Institute for Agricultural, Fisheries and Food

Epigenetic variation is likely to contribute to the phenotypic plasticity and adaptative capacity of plant species, and may be especially important for long-lived organisms with complex life cycles, including forest trees. Diverse environmental stresses and hybridization/polyploidization events can create reversible heritable epigenetic marks that can be transmitted to subsequent generations as a form of molecular memory. Epigenetic changes might also contribute to the ability of plants to colonize or persist in variable environments. In this review, we provide an overview of recent data on epigenetic mechanisms involved in developmental processes and responses to environmental cues in plant, with a focus on forest tree species. We consider the possible role of forest tree epigenetics as a new source of adaptive traits in plant breeding, biotechnology, and ecosystem conservation under rapid climate change.

Mots clés: Adaptive response; environmental stress; epigenetic memory of stressful conditions; forest trees; phenotypic plasticity; GENOMIC DNA METHYLATION; ELAEIS-GUINEENSIS JACQ.; SOMACLONAL VARIATION; CLIMATIC ADAPTATION; GENE-EXPRESSION; NORWAY SPRUCE; IN-VITRO; TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENTS

Mots clés: epigenetics; PICEA-ABIES PROGENIES; PARENTAL ENVIRONMENT

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Katharina Braeutigam, Kelly J. Vining, Clément Lafon-Placette, Carl G. Fossdal, Marie Mirouze, et al.. Epigenetic regulation of adaptive responses of forest tree species to the environment. Ecology and Evolution, 2013, 3 (2), pp.399 - 415. ⟨10.1002/ece3.461⟩. ⟨hal-02650711⟩