Genome-editing technologies have advanced in recent years but designing future crops remains limited by current methods of improving somatic embryogenesis (SE) capacity. In this Opinion, we provide an update on the molecular event by which the phytohormone auxin promotes the acquisition of plant cell totipotency through evoking massive changes in transcriptome and chromatin accessibility. We propose that the chromatin states and individual totipotency-related transcription factors (TFs) from disparate gene families organize into a hierarchical gene regulatory network underlying SE. We conclude with a discussion of the practical paths to probe the cellular origin of the somatic embryo and the epigenetic landscape of the totipotent cell state in the era of single-cell genomics.

 摘 要 

基因组编辑技术近年来取得了巨大进展，但设计未来作物仍然受到当前提高体细胞胚胎发生能力方法的限制。因此，作者在本文中对利用植物激素生长素来引起转录组和染色质可及性的巨大变化，从而促进植物细胞全能性获得的分子机制研究进行了报道。作者提出，植株本身的染色质状态以及与植株全能性相关、来自不同基因家族的个别转录因子共同组织成一个作用于体胚发生的层级基因调控网络。最后，作者讨论了利用单细胞基因组的测序技术，来探索体细胞胚胎的细胞起源以及全能性细胞状态的表观遗传学图谱。

** 王佳伟 **