Our work has implications beyond the plant realm, illustrating avenues for epigenetic control that are likely at work across a wide variety of the higher eukaryotes. The silencing effect of DNA methylation driven by RNA interference is remarkably similar and fundamental for gene silencing in plants and mammals. Importantly, diseases like cancer are regulated by these epigenetic phenomena. On the other hand, small RNA-mediated gene silencing might also be useful to genetic manipulation of food crop species to improve yield and disease resistance.

    Therefore, our research holds the potential to contribute to food production and sustainable agricultural practices, and also to provide insights regarding human development and pathology. We need to learn more about the feedback loops between the DNA sequence and these external factors in order to harness the “genome era” to its fullest extent, ultimately understanding the regulation of gene expression so that we may improve the human condition.