Engineering DNA methylation dynamics in plants: strategies from detection to deployment.

Recent advances in site-specific DNA methylation and demethylation enable targeted epigenetic editing in plants, offering new avenues for crop improvement.

• Why it matters: Understanding and manipulating DNA methylation is crucial because it influences gene expression, transposable element silencing, and plant development, yet practical applications in crop breeding remain limited.
• What they did: The review synthesizes recent breakthroughs in detection methods, recruitment of DNA-binding proteins, and strategies for editing DNA methylation at specific loci in crop plants, evaluating their advantages and limitations.
• The result: These developments may facilitate crop breeding by unlocking phenotypic variation without changing DNA sequences, potentially transforming agricultural practices.