A recent study by Li et al. demonstrated that the removal of like heterochromatin protein 1 (LHP1) in common wheat causes developmental drawbacks, yet confers resistance to stripe rust infection. Due to its role in regulating diversified defense genes, LHP1 was suggested to be an epigenetic gatekeeper potentially promoting adaptive evolution in allopolyploid wheat.
Keywords: H3K27me3; epigenetic buffering; evolution; polyploidy; stress resistance.
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.