Epigenetic perspectives on the evolution and domestication of polyploid plant and crops

• Published in: Current opinion in plant biology Vol. 42; pp. 37 - 48
• Main Authors: Ding, Mingquan, Chen, Z Jeffrey
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2018
• Subjects: allopolyploidy; Angiospermae; animals; autopolyploidy; canola; cotton; crops; Crops, Agricultural - genetics; Crops, Agricultural - physiology; Domestication; Epigenesis, Genetic - genetics; epigenetics; Evolution, Molecular; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; genome; interspecific hybridization; natural selection; Polyploidy; progeny; wheat
• ISSN: 1369-5266; 1879-0356; 1879-0356
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2018.02.003

•Hybridity and ploidy induce nonadditive gene expression (activation or silencing).•Nonadditive gene expression is largely dependent on epigenetic regulation.•Some epialleles are stably inherited in allopolyploid populations during evolution.•Epialleles can be selected and maintained during domestication of polyploid crops. Polyploidy or whole genome duplication (WGD) is a prominent feature for genome evolution of some animals and all flowering plants, including many important crops such as wheat, cotton, and canola. In autopolyploids, genome duplication often perturbs dosage regulation on biological networks. In allopolyploids, interspecific hybridization could induce genetic and epigenetic changes, the effects of which could be amplified by genome doubling (ploidy changes). Albeit the importance of genetic changes, some epigenetic changes can be stabilized and transmitted as epialleles into the progeny, which are subject to natural selection, adaptation, and domestication. Here we review recent advances for general and specific roles of epigenetic changes in the evolution of flowering plants and domestication of agricultural crops.