Epigenetic processes involved in the activation of the DNA damage response in plants: A link to stress memory

Abstract

Epigenetic memory refers to heritable information that is not encoded in the DNA sequence itself but is transmitted across generations through epigenetic modifications. These modifications can arise in response to environmental stimuli, such as heat stress or DNA-damaging conditions, and may persist across multiple generations. One of the primary epigenetic marks in plants is DNA methylation, whose role in stress memory is discussed in a separate review within this Special Issue. In this article, I will focus in one particular stress condition, genotoxic stress, that occurs after plants are exposed to internal or external agents that produce damage in the DNA. I will present and discuss various examples of the establishment, dynamics, and maintenance of epigenetic marks in plants that trigger the DNA damage response, along with their physiological consequences.