Epigenetic regulation of plant specialized metabolism: anthocyanin biosynthesis as a histone acetylation paradigm

Covering: up to the end of 2025.Plant specialized metabolites shape plant color, aroma, and stress adaptation while providing high-value natural products. Although transcription factors have long been regarded as central regulators of specialized-metabolite biosynthesis, increasing evidence indicates that chromatin-associated epigenetic regulatory mechanisms provide additional layers of control over transcriptional responsiveness, chromatin accessibility, and metabolic output. Here, we briefly discuss how distinct epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, including DNA methylation, chromatin remodeling, histone methylation, and histone acetylation, contribute to plant specialized metabolism through different regulatory principles. Among these mechanisms, histone acetylation/deacetylation appears particularly important for rapidly reversible and environmentally responsive transcriptional regulation. Using anthocyanin biosynthesis as the most mechanistically resolved paradigm, we highlight how dynamic histone acetylation integrates environmental and phytohormonal cues with transcriptional networks to fine-tune metabolic gene expression. This framework provides new insights into chromatin-mediated metabolic regulation and offers opportunities for achieving precise, predictable, and durable metabolic engineering in plants.