Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted by plants as a consequence of their interaction with biotic and abiotic factors, and have a very important role in plant evolution. Floral VOCs are often involved in defense and pollinator attraction. These interactions often change rapidly over time, so a quick response to those changes is required. Epigenetic factors, such as DNA methylation and histone modification, which regulate both genes and transcription factors, might trigger adaptive responses to these evolutionary pressures as well as regulating the rhythmic emission of VOCs through circadian clock regulation. In addition, transgenerational epigenetic effects and whole genome polyploidy could modify the generation of VOCs’ profiles of offspring, contributing to long-term evolutionary shifts. In this article, we review the available knowledge about the mechanisms that may act as epigenetic regulators of the main VOC biosynthetic pathways, and their importance in plant evolution.
Highlights
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted by plants as a consequence of their interaction with biotic and abiotic factors, and have a very important role in plant evolution
These proteins are known as methyl-binding proteins, transcriptional repressors that act through several mechanisms, such as the recruitment of corepressors and histone deacetylases, causing chromatin remodeling [30]
To gain insights about the evolution of floral scent profiles and their temporal regulation, we review here the current knowledge about the transcriptional regulation of the different families of VOCs and the influence of epigenetic mechanisms and polyploidy on their biosynthesis and emission
Summary
Plants synthesize an amazing diversity of secondary metabolites, which have been selected throughout their evolutionary history as a response to specific needs [1,2]. Plant VOCs have effects on plant–pollinator, plant–herbivore, plant–plant and other interactions and, on fitness [11] Among all these functions, the most important and understood one is the attraction of pollinators, ensuring the plant’s reproductive success [9,12]. VOC emission, especially that of terpenes, has been proven to mitigate these stresses, allowing plants to recover rapidly from high temperature exposure [24] or alleviating oxidative stress [25] and increasing plant fitness To fulfill all these functions, plant VOCs are biosynthesized through entangled pathways which need complex regulation. Small RNAs can modify chromatin and silence transcription through the action of histone and DNA methyltransferases, recruited by guiding Argonaute-containing complexes to complementary nascent coding RNA or non-coding RNA scaffolds They act as a component of self-reinforcing positive feedback loops with an amplification component and participate in the epigenetic inheritance of histones and DNA methylation patterns. To gain insights about the evolution of floral scent profiles and their temporal regulation, we review here the current knowledge about the transcriptional regulation of the different families of VOCs and the influence of epigenetic mechanisms and polyploidy on their biosynthesis and emission
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