DNA Methylation - the Possibility of Adaptation to Abiotic Environmental Influences

Epigenetic changes in the plant genome involve various reversible chemical modifications that occur on both the DNA itself and the proteins interacting with it, influencing gene expression. Therefore, DNA methylation marks are crucial for plant development, biomass accumulation, and stress responses, playing a key role in adaptive phenotypic variation, which can be erased during development. We suggest that mm-wave, like other abiotic stresses, will influence biological organisms and alter DNA methylation. The significance of DNA methylation in forming a response to abiotic stress and the subsequent inheritance of these changes in the next generation of Triticum aestivum wheat seedlings has been demonstrated. The studies were conducted under the influence of extremely high frequencies of electromagnetic radiation (EHF EMR) in the range of 45-50.3 GHz. Methylation changes due to the abiotic stress factor increased, resulting from accelerated metabolic processes, growth, and tissue differentiation caused by the stress factor. Conversely, changes may lead to a reduction in supporting methylation due to decreased or inactivated enzymes that facilitate DNA methylation. The molecular mechanisms enabling plants to remember stress and generate stress-resistant progeny are still unclear and have been scarcely investigated. The data obtained in this study allow us to conclude the adaptive significance of these changes directed toward mobilizing available plant resources. DNA methylation, as a key player in the epigenetic mechanism, provides selective advantages for phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational effects that distinguish different plant species based on genome size and ploidy, development stage, and the duration and intensity of stress.