Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Plants use volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as airborne signals in development, defence, and ecological interactions. Epigenetic mechanisms can influence VOC biosynthesis and, in some experimental systems, plant responses to volatile cues. This review examines chromatin-level mechanisms, particularly DNA methylation and histone modifications, in VOC biosynthesis and responses to volatile cues, together with distinct RNA-level regulation by non-coding RNAs and m 6 A-dependent epitranscriptomic mechanisms. VOC perception can activate rapid signalling events, including Ca 2+ influx and reactive oxygen species production; however, direct mechanistic links between these early responses and subsequent chromatin changes remain unresolved. Changes in promoter DNA methylation and histone acetylation are associated with, and in some systems functionally contribute to, regulation of VOC biosynthesis or defence responses, whereas ncRNA- and m 6 A-dependent mechanisms provide distinct RNA-level regulatory layers. Across diverse plant systems, chromatin states can influence VOC biosynthesis and emission, whereas in a smaller set of exposure studies, volatile cues are accompanied by changes in DNA methylation or histone modifications. Persistent or primed responses have been reported in several systems, but persistence of a phenotype or chromatin mark alone does not establish stress memory, and causal epigenetic involvement in VOC-induced memory remains unresolved. Important knowledge gaps concern the mechanisms linking volatile perception with chromatin regulation, the integration of complex VOC blends, and the relevance of these processes under field conditions. Emerging approaches, including locus-specific CRISPR/dCas-based epigenome editing and temporally resolved multi-omics, should help distinguish causal chromatin mechanisms from downstream transcriptional responses. Current evidence therefore supports distinct chromatin- and RNA-level contributions to VOC biology but does not yet establish a general mechanistic pathway from volatile perception to epigenetically encoded stress memory.
Source: Frontiers in Plant Science
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Funder: Narodowe Centrum Nauki
OpenAlex ID: W7223016123