The ARF-Thiol Axis: An Epigenetic Model for the Biosynthesis and Domestication-Led Silencing of 3-Methyl-2-Butene-1-Thiol (3MB1T) in Cannabis sativa L.
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This research dossier proposes the ARF-Thiol Axis, a novel mechanistic framework to account for the transgenerational phenotypic loss of high-potency volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs)—specifically 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol (3MB1T)—in Cannabis sativa L. We posit that the "Roadkill Skunk" (RKS) phenotype is a functional metabolic mutation characterized by the constitutive upregulation of specific Auxin Response Factors (CsARF21/22). This hormonal "overdrive" provides the transcriptional activation required for the GST-mediated conjugation and subsequent volatilization of thiols via the $\beta$-lyase enzyme. Furthermore, we argue that decades of stable indoor domestication have triggered an "Epigenetic Lock," where DNA methylation silences these pathways in the absence of abiotic stressors. The dossier outlines a repeatable Abiotic-Trauma Protocol ("Stress Hammer") using targeted UV-B radiation and diurnal thermal shock to strip methylation marks and restore the ancestral phenotype. This framework is presented as a hypothesis-generating model for the global breeding and genomic research community to validate through GC-MS and bisulfite sequencing.
Author: Orr, Iain
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7135170733
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