Advances in the study of the role of epigenetic mechanisms in plant growth and response to stress

Abstract Plants face the challenge of balancing dynamic environmental stresses with internal developmental demands during growth, necessitating the precise regulation of gene expression networks to optimize resource allocation. Recent studies have shown that epigenetic regulatory systems, which serve as bridges between genotype and phenotype, enable plants to respond rapidly to environmental changes and facilitate adaptive evolution by establishing heritable epigenetic memory. This article systematically elucidates the molecular mechanisms by which core epigenetic processes coordinate plant growth and development with environmental adaptation, with particular emphasis on the transgenerational transmission of epigenetic information, such as DNA modification, RNA modification, histone modification, histone chaperones, chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNA regulation. It further examines the interrelationships between these mechanisms and how they work in concert to achieve such coordination. It also explores key unresolved scientific questions in this field and proposes future perspectives for further research.