180-year-old oak trees rewrite their DNA marks with the seasons
Sanchez-Lucas R, He J, Chirico M, Bosanquet JL, Lehner AAB
Phenology
The oak dropping acorns in your neighborhood park is quietly reprogramming which genes turn on and off as it cycles through spring growth and autumn dormancy, and that internal calendar gets partly passed down to its seedlings.
Researchers studied ancient oak trees, some 180 years old, and tracked chemical tags on their DNA (called methylation) across spring, summer, and fall. They found the tags change in a specific pattern as the season progresses, essentially acting like a seasonal switchboard for genes involved in leaf growth and hormone signals. Interestingly, the oak's offspring showed a different kind of methylation pattern, hinting that some of this seasonal memory gets passed to the next generation in its own way.
Key Findings
CHH-context DNA methylation progressively increased from spring through summer and autumn in mature 180-year-old oaks, indicating seasonal epigenetic reprogramming.
Seasonal differentially methylated regions were concentrated in gene promoters and TIR transposons, affecting genes tied to leaf development and hormonal signaling.
Generational differences between parent trees and their offspring appeared mainly in CG and CHG methylation contexts, concentrated in gene bodies rather than regulatory regions.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists mapped chemical marks on oak tree DNA across seasons and found the tree's epigenetic patterns shift as it moves from spring growth to summer and autumn dormancy, and these patterns differ again in the tree's offspring. This shows old oaks actively reprogram gene activity throughout the year without changing their underlying DNA code.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Epigenomic Landscape of Oak (Quercus robur) across Season and Generation.
Seasonal fluctuations strongly shape the physiology of long-lived trees by coordinating growth, dormancy, and stress responses. Increasing evidence points to epigenetic mechanisms, particularly DNA...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus Quercus of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, with some 500 species, both deciduous and evergreen. ...