Nature Communications · 31 October 2026 · From issue 60
Contrasting epigenetic dynamics in chromosome arms and pericentromeres during ROS1-induced plant immune memory
In a lab plant, turning on a DNA-marking eraser built pathogen immune memory lasting one week.
Adam Hannan Parker, Peijun Zhang et al.
A small flowering plant called Arabidopsis built immune memory after scientists briefly switched on a gene tool that removes chemical marks from its DNA. This memory helped the plant fight off disease-causing germs for at least one week. The marks changed in different ways across the plant's DNA. They loosened near defense genes but stayed locked in other spots tied to repetitive DNA.
How long plant immune memory lasted after the DNA-marking eraser tool was briefly switched on.
Lab plant only, short one-week test, not a crop yet.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 1 November 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Nature Communications). Read the source
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