Epigenetic bases involved in plant drought stress: Challenges and prospects

 Drought is considered a multidimensional abiotic stress factor. To tolerate dehydration, plants make use of physiological and mainly molecular mechanisms. Recurrent exposure to these conditions enable plants to respond faster to new stress, through adaptive changes in gene expression patterns, evidencing their capacity for “memory” and consequently adaptation to environmental changes. The involvement of epigenetic bases as responsive effects of plants under drought conditions and their role in the stress “memory” in plants was investigated through a systematic review. Searches were performed in three databases: Scopus, PubMed and Web Of Science. The systematic review was conducted with StArt software and a previously established protocol. The systematic review made it possible to understand that epigenetic mechanisms confer tolerance to drought and that they are involved in the “memory” of transgenerational stress in plants. However, further research with the use of methodological techniques should be aimed at understanding the role of ncRNAs as epigenetic mechanisms, in addition to trying to elucidate the issues related to the heritability and stability of these epigenetic changes induced by drought.