PURIN DERIVATIVES AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION

Purin derivatives, including adenine-based cytokinins such as 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and kinetin, play a critical regulatory role in plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. Beyond their classical function in cell division and metabolic activation, emerging evidence suggests that purin derivatives influence gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. These mechanisms include DNA methylation, histone modifications, chromatin remodeling, and regulation of non-coding RNAs. This review summarizes current knowledge on how purin derivatives modulate epigenetic processes and discusses their significance in medicinal plant introduction, stress tolerance, and secondary metabolite biosynthesis.