Abstract: Gene expression induced by developmental and stress conditions often depends on epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation, histone modification, chromatin structure and small-RNA. Extensive researches suggest that these epigenetic modifications play a very important role in plant gene expression under stress. Most of these modifications induced by stress can return to their original levels after stress being relieved, however, some modifications are very stable, these modifications as "stress memory" can be inherited by mitosis and meiosis.The epigenetic stress memory may help plants respond more effectively to subsequent stress.

Key words: stress response, epigenetic modifications, epigenetic regulation, stress memory, inheritance