For a very long time, the scientists were
convinced that methylation, the essential part of every living organism
development process, was just a static modification of DNA, which was not
possible to be altered by environmental conditions. However, according to new findings provided
by the researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the DNA of
organisms experiencing stress undergo changes in the DNA methylation pattern
which alters the way genes are regulated.
Professor Joseph Ecker working at Salk’s Genomic Analysis Laboratory believes
that the epigenome may not be a static set of instructions but can also take
part in “rewriting” those instructions according to the received experience.
Eventually, it all boils down to the theory that life experiences leave an
imprint on our DNA.
Using the genome-wide sequencing technologies, the researchers have tracked
numerous methylation changes in the plant’s response to bacterial infections
and went on with a number of analyses focused on analyzing the way such changes
are able to alter gene expression. The Salk findings are sure to influence the agriculture,
including plants DNA methylation process engineering aimed at generating
pathogen-resistant crops and minimizing the pesticide exposure. These
technologies bring about huge interest among farmers , as more than 30 per cent
of the yearly crops are lost due to pathogens and cost of $500 billion.
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