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The term "chromatin remodelling" is widely used to describe changes in chromatin structure which is controlled by histone-modifying enzymes, chromatin remodelling complexes, non-histone DNA-binding proteins and noncoding RNAs. Many human diseases such as cancer, various genetic syndromes, autism and infectious disease have been linked to the disruption of these control processes by genetic, environmental or microbial factors. Therefore, to unravel the mechanisms by which they operate is one of the most exciting and rapid developing fields of modern biology and will contribute to new ways in treatment of these diseases. The chapters in this book will focus on recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that govern the dynamic structural of chromatin, thereby providing important insights into gene regulation, DNA repair, and human diseases.

Chromatin. --- Chromosomes --- Nucleoproteins --- Medical genetics

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This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

DNA repair --- Recombination --- NHEJ --- Chromatin --- Epigenetic marks

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Symbiosis is an intimate relationship between different living entities and is widespread in virtually all organisms. It was critical for the origin and diversification of Eukaryotes and represents a major driving force in evolution. Indeed, symbiosis may support a wide range of biological processes, including those underlying the physiology, development, reproduction, health, behavior, ecology and evolution of the organisms involved in the relationship. Although often confused with mutualism, when both organisms benefit from the association, symbiosis actually encompasses several and variable relationships. Among them is parasitism, when one organism benefits but the other is harmed, and commensalism, when one organism benefits and the other remains unaffected. Even if many symbiotic lifestyles do exist in nature, in many cases the intimacy between the partners is so deep that the “symbiont” (sensu strictu) resides into the tissues and/or cells of the other partner. Since the partners frequently belong to different kingdoms, e.g. bacteria, fungi, protists and viruses living in association with animal and plant hosts, their shared “language” should be a basic and ancient form of communication able to effectively blur the boundaries between extremely different living entities. In recent years studies on the role of epigenetics in shaping host-symbiont interactions have been flourishing. Epigenetic changes include, but are not limited to, DNA methylation, remodelling of chromatin structure through histone chemical modifications and RNA interference. In this E-book we present a series of papers exploring the fascinating developmental and evolutionary relationship between symbionts and hosts, by focusing on the mediating epigenetic processes that enable the communication to be effective and robust at both the individual, the ecological and the evolutionary time scales. In particular, the papers consider the role of epigenetic factors and mechanisms in the interactions among different species, comprising the holobiont and host-parasite relationships. On the whole, since epigenetics is fast-acting and reversible, enabling dynamic developmental communication between hosts and symbionts at several different time scale, we argue that it could account for the enormous plasticity that characterizes the interactions between all the organisms living symbiotically on our planet.

chromatin re-modeling --- DNA Methylation --- holobiont --- symbiosis --- host-symbiont crosstalk --- pathogen --- Histone Modifications --- epigenetics --- genome immunity

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The fundamental question of how an undifferentiated progenitor cell adopts a more specialized cell fate that then contributes to the development of specialized tissues, organs, organ systems and ultimately a unique individual of a given species has intrigued cell and developmental biologists for many years. Advances in molecular and cell biology have enabled investigators to identify genetic and epigenetic factors that contribute to these processes with increasing detail and also to define the various molecular characteristics of each cell fate with greater precision. Understanding these processes have also provided greater insights into disorders in which the normal mechanisms of cell fate determination are altered, such as in cancer and inherited malformations. With these advances have come techniques that facilitate the manipulation of cell fate, which have the potential to revolutionize the field of medicine by facilitating the repair and/or regeneration of diseased organs. Given the rapid advances that are occurring in the field, the articles in this eBook are both relevant and timely. These articles originally appeared online as part of the Research Topic “Cell Fate” overseen by my colleagues Dr. Lin, Dr. Buttitta, Dr. Maves, Dr. Dilworth, Dr. Paladini and myself and have been viewed extensively. Because of their popularity, they are now made available as an eBook, in a more easily downloadable form. Michael T. Chin

nuclear architecture --- Chromatin --- Cell Cycle --- stem cell --- gene regulation --- cell fate --- Transcription Factors --- epigenetics

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Alterations in gene expression are essential during growth and development phases and when plants are exposed to environmental challenges. Stress conditions induce gene expression modifications, which are associated with changes in the biochemical and physiological processes that help plants to avoid or reduce potential damage resulting from these stresses.After exposure to stress, surviving plants tend to flower earlier than normal and therefore transfer the accumulated epigenetic information to their progenies, given that seeds, where this information is stored, are formed at a later stage of plant development.DNA methylation is correlated with expression repression. Likewise, miRNA produced in the cell can reduce the transcript abundance or even prevent translation of mRNA. However, histone modulation, such as histone acetylation, methylation, and ubiquitination, can show distinct effects on gene expression. These alterations can be inherited, especially if the plants are consistently exposed to a particular environmental stress. Retrotransposons and retroviruses are foreign movable DNA elements that play an important role in plant evolution. Recent studies have shown that epigenetic alterations control the movement and the expression of genes harbored within these elements. These epigenetic modifications have an impact on the morphology, and biotic and abiotic tolerance in the subsequent generations because they can be inherited through the transgenerational memory in plants. Therefore, epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small RNA interference, serve not only to alter gene expression but also may enhance the evolutionary process in eukaryotes.In this E-book, original research and review articles that cover issues related to the role of DNA methylation, histone modifications, and small RNA in plant transgenerational epigenetic memory were published.The knowledge published on this topic may add new insight on the involvement of epigenetic factors in natural selection and environmental adaptation. This information may also help to generate a modeling system to study the epigenetic role in evolution.

replication --- histones --- transgeneration memory --- environmental stresses --- DNA methylation --- evolution --- chromatin --- epigenetics