Jianmin Zheng , Lian Chen , Chuchu Liu

Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang Colloge of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding, 2025, Vol. 15, No. 3   
Received: 19 May, 2025    Accepted: 21 Jun., 2025    Published: 30 Jun., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This study mainly summarizes the relationship between oil accumulation and epigenetics in Camellia oleifera at different altitudes, analyzes common epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone modification, and examines how they affect the expression of genes related to fatty acid synthesis and oil metabolism. It also discusses how environmental stress at high and low altitudes alters the structure of the epigenome. To regulate the yield and quality of oils, a comparative analysis was conducted on Camellia oleifera populations from different altitudes. It was found that Camellia oleifera can adapt to environmental changes by adjusting its epigenetic state. This “plasticity” may play an important role in the development and ecological adaptation of plants. This study aims to provide some useful theoretical references for the genetic improvement of woody oil crops and the breeding of new high-quality oil varieties in the future.

Camellia oleifera; Woody oil crops; Altitudinal variation; Epigenetic regulation; Oil accumulation