Plant Regeneration: Influencing Factors, Regulatory Networks, and Epigenetic Mechanisms

Plant tissue culture is a crucial part of biotechnology that supports crop improvement, plant conservation, and other related fields. Although tissue culture has been successfully used in many plants, low regeneration and transformation rates still exist in some species. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is commonly used in genetic engineering, but its effectiveness depends heavily on establishing a reliable in vitro regeneration system through organogenesis or somatic embryogenesis. Over the past decade, substantial progress has been made in understanding the molecular basis of regeneration; however, most reviews have focused on individual aspects such as hormone regulation or transcription factor networks in isolation. In contrast, this review provides a comprehensive and integrated framework that systematically links four critical layers—wound signaling, hormonal regulation, developmental regulators, and epigenetic modifications—into a unified regulatory network governing plant regeneration. Furthermore, we highlight recent cutting-edge advances, including artificial intelligence-assisted prediction, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, epigenome editing, and CRISPR-based activation systems, and we discuss their transformative potential in overcoming genotype-dependent recalcitrance. By synthesizing classical regulatory mechanisms with emerging technologies, this review offers a forward-looking perspective that distinguishes it from earlier publications and provides both theoretical foundations and practical strategies for improving plant regeneration and genetic transformation.