Academic Journal
Unravelling the epigenetic roles of long non-coding RNAs in plant drought resistance.
| Title: | Unravelling the epigenetic roles of long non-coding RNAs in plant drought resistance. |
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| Authors: | Bashir S; Proteomics Lab., Division of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India; Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan., Showkat M; Proteomics Lab., Division of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India., Verma A; Proteomics Lab., Division of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India., Hajini MA; Proteomics Lab., Division of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India., Jaan T; Proteomics Lab., Division of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India., Rashid M; Proteomics Lab., Division of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India., Miura K; Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan., Rakwal R; Institute of Health and Sport Sciences (TAIIKU), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan., Zargar SM; Proteomics Lab., Division of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India. Electronic address: smzargar@skuastkashmir.ac.in. |
| Source: | Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology [Plant Sci] 2026 Nov; Vol. 372, pp. 113351. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Aug 07. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article; Review |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Elsevier Ireland Country of Publication: Ireland NLM ID: 9882015 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-2259 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 01689452 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Plant Sci Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: <2010>- : Shannon, Co. Clare : Elsevier Ireland Original Publication: Shannon [Clare] : Elsevier Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd., c1985- |
| MeSH Terms: | Drought Resistance*/genetics , RNA, Long Noncoding*/genetics , RNA, Long Noncoding*/physiology , RNA, Long Noncoding*/metabolism , RNA, Plant*/genetics , Plants*/genetics , Epigenesis, Genetic*, Stress, Physiological/genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Droughts ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly |
| Abstract: | Drought stress is one of the most severe abiotic constraints limiting plant growth, productivity, and global food security, with its impact intensifying under climate change. Plants adapt to drought through complex physiological, transcriptional, and epigenetic regulatory networks. Among these, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as critical regulators that integrate transcriptional control with chromatin-level modulation. Once considered transcriptional noise, lncRNAs are now recognised as dynamic molecular regulators that fine-tune drought-responsive gene expression through chromatin remodelling, histone modifications, DNA methylation, RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM), and lncRNA-microRNA crosstalk. These mechanisms regulate key adaptive pathways, including abscisic acid (ABA) signalling, reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, osmotic adjustment, and root system plasticity. Emerging evidence further highlights the role of lncRNAs in epigenetic stress memory, enabling plants to maintain a primed transcriptional state and respond more efficiently to recurrent drought episodes. This review summarises recent advances in the epigenetic functions of lncRNAs in plant drought adaptation, with particular emphasis on chromatin dynamics, stress memory, and lncRNA-mediated regulatory networks. We also discuss insights from integrated omics approaches and highlight the translational potential of drought-responsive lncRNAs for developing climate-resilient crops. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Abiotic; Chromatin remodelling; Drought stress; Epigenetic regulation; Long non-coding RNAs; Stress memory |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 0 (RNA, Long Noncoding) 0 (RNA, Plant) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260807 Date Completed: 20260908 Latest Revision: 20260908 |
| Update Code: | 20260909 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.plantsci.2026.113351 |
| PMID: | 42567413 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-2259 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.plantsci.2026.113351 |