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Su D, Shu P, Hu N, Chen Y, Wu Y, Deng H, Du X, Zhang X, Wang R, Li H, Zeng Y, Li D, Xie Y, Li M, Hong Y, Liu K, Liu M. Dynamic m6A mRNA methylation reveals the involvement of AcALKBH10 in ripening-related quality regulation in kiwifruit. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 243:2265-2278. [PMID: 39056285 DOI: 10.1111/nph.20008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Kiwifruit ripening is a complex and highly coordinated process that occurs in conjunction with the formation of fruit edible quality. The significance of epigenetic changes, particularly the impact of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification on fruit ripening and quality formation, has been largely overlooked. We monitored m6A levels and gene expression changes in kiwifruit at four different stages using LC-MS/MS, MeRIP, RNA-seq, and validated the function of AcALKBH10 through heterologous transgenic expression in tomato. Notable m6A modifications occurred predominantly at the stop codons and the 3' UTRs and exhibited a gradual reduction in m6A levels during the fruit ripening process. Moreover, these m6A modifications in the aforementioned sites demonstrated a discernible inverse relationship with the levels of mRNA abundance throughout the ripening process, suggesting a repression effect of m6A modification in the modulation of kiwifruit ripening. We further demonstrated that AcALKBH10 rather than AcECT9 predominantly regulates m6A levels in ripening-related genes, thereby exerting the regulatory control over the ripening process and the accumulation of soluble sugars and organic acids, ultimately influencing fruit ripening and quality formation. In conclusion, our findings illuminate the epi-regulatory mechanism involving m6A in kiwifruit ripening, offering a fresh perspective for cultivating high-quality kiwifruit with enhanced nutritional attributes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Su
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Peng Shu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
- Clinical Medical Research Center, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, 400037, China
| | - Nan Hu
- College of Biology and Food Engineering, Anyang Institute of Technology, Anyang, 455000, Henan, China
| | - Yuan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Yi Wu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Heng Deng
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiaofei Du
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Xumeng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Ruochen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
| | - Huajia Li
- Institute of Agro-Products Processing Science and Technology, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, 610066, China
| | - Yunliu Zeng
- National Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation & Utilization of Horticultural Crops, College of Horticulture and Forestry Science, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China
| | - Dawei Li
- Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jiufeng 1 Road, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, China
| | - Yue Xie
- China-New Zealand the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Kiwifruit, Kiwifruit Breeding and Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Academy of Natural Resource Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Mingzhang Li
- China-New Zealand the Belt and Road Joint Laboratory on Kiwifruit, Kiwifruit Breeding and Utilization Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Academy of Natural Resource Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Yiguo Hong
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, WR2 6AJ, UK
- State Key Laboratory of North China Crop Improvement and Regulation, College of Horticulture, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071000, China
| | - Kaidong Liu
- Life Science and Technology School, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, 524048, China
| | - Mingchun Liu
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China
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2
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Miyokawa R, Sasaki E. The role of FIONA1 in alternative splicing and its effects on flowering regulation in Arabidopsis thaliana. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 243:2055-2060. [PMID: 39056273 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Miyokawa
- Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744, Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
| | - Eriko Sasaki
- Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, 744, Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka, 819-0395, Japan
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3
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Zhu XT, Sanz-Jimenez P, Ning XT, Tahir Ul Qamar M, Chen LL. Direct RNA sequencing in plants: Practical applications and future perspectives. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2024:101064. [PMID: 39155503 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2024] [Revised: 07/17/2024] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024]
Abstract
The transcriptome serves as a bridge that links genomic variation to phenotypic diversity. A vast number of studies using next-generation RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) over the last 2 decades have emphasized the essential roles of the plant transcriptome in response to developmental and environmental conditions, providing numerous insights into the dynamic changes, evolutionary traces, and elaborate regulation of the plant transcriptome. With substantial improvement in accuracy and throughput, direct RNA sequencing (DRS) has emerged as a new and powerful sequencing platform for precise detection of native and full-length transcripts, overcoming many limitations such as read length and PCR bias that are inherent to short-read RNA-seq. Here, we review recent advances in dissecting the complexity and diversity of plant transcriptomes using DRS as the main technological approach, covering many aspects of RNA metabolism, including novel isoforms, poly(A) tails, and RNA modification, and we propose a comprehensive workflow for processing of plant DRS data. Many challenges to the application of DRS in plants, such as the need for machine learning tools tailored to plant transcriptomes, remain to be overcome, and together we outline future biological questions that can be addressed by DRS, such as allele-specific RNA modification. This technology provides convenient support on which the connection of distinct RNA features is tightly built, sustainably refining our understanding of the biological functions of the plant transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi-Tong Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
| | - Pablo Sanz-Jimenez
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiao-Tong Ning
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Muhammad Tahir Ul Qamar
- Integrative Omics and Molecular Modeling Laboratory, Department of Bioinformatics and Biotechnology, Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF), Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
| | - Ling-Ling Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-bioresources, College of Life Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China.
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4
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Cai Z, Tang Q, Song P, Tian E, Yang J, Jia G. The m6A reader ECT8 is an abiotic stress sensor that accelerates mRNA decay in Arabidopsis. THE PLANT CELL 2024; 36:2908-2926. [PMID: 38835286 PMCID: PMC11289641 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koae149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant mRNA modification and plays diverse roles in eukaryotes, including plants. It regulates various processes, including plant growth, development, and responses to external or internal stress responses. However, the mechanisms underlying how m6A is related to environmental stresses in both mammals and plants remain elusive. Here, we identified EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED C-TERMINAL REGION 8 (ECT8) as an m6A reader protein and showed that its m6A-binding capability is required for salt stress responses in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). ECT8 accelerates the degradation of its target transcripts through direct interaction with the decapping protein DECAPPING 5 within processing bodies. We observed a significant increase in the ECT8 expression level under various environmental stresses. Using salt stress as a representative stressor, we found that the transcript and protein levels of ECT8 rise in response to salt stress. The increased abundance of ECT8 protein results in the enhanced binding capability to m6A-modified mRNAs, thereby accelerating their degradation, especially those of negative regulators of salt stress responses. Our results demonstrated that ECT8 acts as an abiotic stress sensor, facilitating mRNA decay, which is vital for maintaining transcriptome homeostasis and enhancing stress tolerance in plants. Our findings not only advance the understanding of epitranscriptomic gene regulation but also offer potential applications for breeding more resilient crops in the face of rapidly changing environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihe Cai
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Qian Tang
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Peizhe Song
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Enlin Tian
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Junbo Yang
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Guifang Jia
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Advanced Center of RNA Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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5
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Perez-Rial A, Carmona A, Ali L, Rubio J, Millan T, Castro P, Die JV. Phenotypic and genetic characterization of a near-isogenic line pair: insights into flowering time in chickpea. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 24:709. [PMID: 39054447 PMCID: PMC11270784 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05411-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cicer arietinum is a significant legume crop cultivated mainly in short-season environments, where early-flowering is a desirable trait to overcome terminal constraints. Despite its agricultural significance, the genetic control of flowering time in chickpea is not fully understood. In this study, we developed, phenotyped, re-sequenced and genetically characterized a pair of near-isogenic lines (NILs) with contrasting days to flowering to identify candidate gene variants potentially associated with flowering time. RESULTS In addition to days to flowering, noticeable differences in multiple shoot architecture traits were observed between the NILs. The resequencing data confirms that the NILs developed in this study serve as appropriate plant materials, effectively constraining genetic variation to specific regions and thereby establishing a valuable resource for future genetic and functional investigations in chickpea research. Leveraging bioinformatics tools and public genomic datasets, we identified homologs of flowering-related genes from Arabidopsis thaliana, including ELF3 and, for the first time in chickpea, MED16 and STO/BBX24, with variants among the NILs. Analysis of the allelic distribution of these genes revealed their preservation within chickpea diversity and their potential association with flowering time. Variants were also identified in members of the ERF and ARF gene families. Furthermore, in silico expression analysis was conducted elucidating their putative roles in flowering. CONCLUSIONS While the gene CaELF3a is identified as a prominent candidate, this study also exposes new targets in chickpea, such as CaMED16b and LOC101499101 (BBX24-like), homologs of flowering-related genes in Arabidopsis, as well as ERF12 and ARF2. The in silico expression characterization and genetic variability analysis performed could contribute to their use as specific markers for chickpea breeding programs. This study lays the groundwork for future investigations utilizing this plant material, promising further insights into the complex mechanisms governing flowering time in chickpea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Perez-Rial
- Department of Genetics-ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Córdoba, 14071, Spain
| | - Alejandro Carmona
- Department of Genetics-ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Córdoba, 14071, Spain
| | - Latifah Ali
- Department of Plant Biology-Science Faculty, University of Tishreen, Lattakia City, Syria
| | - Josefa Rubio
- Área de Mejora y Biotecnología, IFAPA Centro 'Alameda del Obispo', Córdoba, 14080, Spain
| | - Teresa Millan
- Department of Genetics-ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Córdoba, 14071, Spain
| | - Patricia Castro
- Department of Genetics-ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Córdoba, 14071, Spain.
| | - Jose V Die
- Department of Genetics-ETSIAM, University of Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Córdoba, 14071, Spain
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Xiang Y, Zhang D, Li L, Xue YX, Zhang CY, Meng QF, Wang J, Tan XL, Li YL. Detection, distribution, and functions of RNA N 6-methyladenosine (m 6A) in plant development and environmental signal responses. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1429011. [PMID: 39081522 PMCID: PMC11286456 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1429011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024]
Abstract
The epitranscriptomic mark N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common type of messenger RNA (mRNA) post-transcriptional modification in eukaryotes. With the discovery of the demethylase FTO (FAT MASS AND OBESITY-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN) in Homo Sapiens, this modification has been proven to be dynamically reversible. With technological advances, research on m6A modification in plants also rapidly developed. m6A modification is widely distributed in plants, which is usually enriched near the stop codons and 3'-UTRs, and has conserved modification sequences. The related proteins of m6A modification mainly consist of three components: methyltransferases (writers), demethylases (erasers), and reading proteins (readers). m6A modification mainly regulates the growth and development of plants by modulating the RNA metabolic processes and playing an important role in their responses to environmental signals. In this review, we briefly outline the development of m6A modification detection techniques; comparatively analyze the distribution characteristics of m6A in plants; summarize the methyltransferases, demethylases, and binding proteins related to m6A; elaborate on how m6A modification functions in plant growth, development, and response to environmental signals; and provide a summary and outlook on the research of m6A in plants.
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7
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Liu H, Lin M, Zhou D, Liu B, Li X, Wang H, Bi X. Characterization of the m 6A gene family in switchgrass and functional analysis of PvALKBH10 during flowering. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2024; 212:108781. [PMID: 38820914 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2024.108781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/27/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a nucleotide modification that is frequently seen in RNA, plays a crucial role in plant growth, development and stress resistance. However, the m6A regulatory machinery in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a model plant for cellulose-to-ethanol conversion, remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified 57 candidate genes involved in m6A-regulation in the switchgrass genome, and analyzed their chromosomal distribution, evolutionary relationships, and functions. Notably, we observed distinct gene expression patterns under salt and drought stress, with salt stress inducing writer and eraser genes, alongside drought stress predominantly affecting reader genes. Additionally, we knocked out PvALKBH10, an m6A demethylase gene, via CRISPR/Cas9 and found its potential function in controlling flowering time. This study provides insight into the genomic organization and evolutionary features of m6A-associated putative genes in switchgrass, and therefore serves as the basis for further functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huayue Liu
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Mengzhuo Lin
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Die Zhou
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Bowen Liu
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xue Li
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Hui Wang
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xiaojing Bi
- College of Grassland Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
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8
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Wang G, Li H, Ye C, He K, Liu S, Jiang B, Ge R, Gao B, Wei J, Zhao Y, Li A, Zhang D, Zhang J, He C. Quantitative profiling of m 6A at single base resolution across the life cycle of rice and Arabidopsis. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4881. [PMID: 38849358 PMCID: PMC11161662 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48941-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays critical roles in regulating mRNA metabolism. However, comprehensive m6A methylomes in different plant tissues with single-base precision have yet to be reported. Here, we present transcriptome-wide m6A maps at single-base resolution in different tissues of rice and Arabidopsis using m6A-SAC-seq. Our analysis uncovers a total of 205,691 m6A sites distributed across 22,574 genes in rice, and 188,282 m6A sites across 19,984 genes in Arabidopsis. The evolutionarily conserved m6A sites in rice and Arabidopsis ortholog gene pairs are involved in controlling tissue development, photosynthesis and stress response. We observe an overall mRNA stabilization effect by 3' UTR m6A sites in certain plant tissues. Like in mammals, a positive correlation between the m6A level and the length of internal exons is also observed in plant mRNA, except for the last exon. Our data suggest an active m6A deposition process occurring near the stop codon in plant mRNA. In addition, the MTA-installed plant mRNA m6A sites correlate with both translation promotion and translation suppression, depicting a more complicated regulatory picture. Our results therefore provide in-depth resources for relating single-base resolution m6A sites with functions in plants and uncover a suppression-activation model controlling m6A biogenesis across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanqun Wang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Haoxuan Li
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Chang Ye
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Kayla He
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Shun Liu
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Bochen Jiang
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Ruiqi Ge
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Boyang Gao
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Jiangbo Wei
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yutao Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Aixuan Li
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University and School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Di Zhang
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University and School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University and School of Life Sciences and State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Chuan He
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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9
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Song P, Cai Z, Jia G. Principles, functions, and biological implications of m 6A in plants. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 30:491-499. [PMID: 38531642 PMCID: PMC11019739 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079951.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Over the past decade, N 6-methyladenosine (m6A) has emerged as a prevalent and dynamically regulated modification across the transcriptome; it has been reversibly installed, removed, and interpreted by specific binding proteins, and has played crucial roles in molecular and biological processes. Within this scope, we consolidate recent advancements of m6A research in plants regarding gene expression regulation, diverse physiologic and pathogenic processes, as well as crop trial implications, to guide discussions on challenges associated with and leveraging epitranscriptome editing for crop improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peizhe Song
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhihe Cai
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Guifang Jia
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- PKU-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Beijing Advanced Center of RNA Biology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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10
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Sheikh AH, Tabassum N, Rawat A, Almeida Trapp M, Nawaz K, Hirt H. m6A RNA methylation counteracts dark-induced leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 194:2663-2678. [PMID: 38084897 PMCID: PMC10980409 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/01/2024]
Abstract
Senescence is an important physiological process which directly affects many agronomic traits in plants. Senescence induces chlorophyll degradation, phytohormone changes, cellular structure damage, and altered gene regulation. Although these physiological outputs are well defined, the molecular mechanisms employed are not known. Using dark-induced leaf senescence (DILS) as the experimental system, we investigated the role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) mRNA methylation during senescence in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Plants compromised in m6A machinery components like METHYLTRANSFERASE A (mta mutant) and VIRILIZER1 (vir-1 mutant) showed an enhanced DILS phenotype. This was accompanied by compromised chloroplast and photosynthesis performance in mta as well as accumulation of senescence-promoting camalexin and phytohormone jasmonic acid after dark treatment. m6A levels increased during DILS and destabilized senescence-related transcripts thereby preventing premature aging. Due to inefficient decay, senescence-related transcripts like ORESARA1 (ORE1), SENESCENCE-ASSOCIATED GENE 21 (SAG21), NAC-like, activated by AP3/PI (NAP), and NONYELLOWING 1 (NYE1) over-accumulated in mta thereby causing accelerated senescence during DILS. Overall, our data propose that m6A modification is involved in regulating the biological response to senescence in plants, providing targets for engineering stress tolerance of crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arsheed H Sheikh
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Naheed Tabassum
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Anamika Rawat
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Marilia Almeida Trapp
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Kashif Nawaz
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Heribert Hirt
- Center for Desert Agriculture, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
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11
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Cai J, Hu J, Xu T, Kang H. FIONA1-mediated mRNA m 6 A methylation regulates the response of Arabidopsis to salt stress. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:900-912. [PMID: 38193282 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) is an mRNA modification widely found in eukaryotes and plays a crucial role in plant development and stress responses. FIONA1 (FIO1) is a recently identified m6 A methyltransferase that regulates Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) floral transition; however, its role in stress response remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that FIO1-mediated m6 A methylation plays a vital role in salt stress response in Arabidopsis. The loss-of-function fio1 mutant was sensitive to salt stress. Importantly, the complementation lines expressing the wild-type FIO1 exhibited the wild-type phenotype, whereas the complementation lines expressing the mutant FIO1m , in which two critical amino acid residues essential for methyltransferase activity were mutated, did not recover the wild-type phenotype under salt stress, indicating that the salt sensitivity is associated with FIO1 methyltransferase activity. Furthermore, FIO1-mediated m6 A methylation regulated ROS production and affected the transcript level of several salt stress-responsive genes via modulating their mRNA stability in an m6 A-dependent manner in response to salt stress. Importantly, FIO1 is associated with salt stress response by specifically targeting and differentially modulating several salt stress-responsive genes compared with other m6 A writer. Collectively, our findings highlight the molecular mechanism of FIO1-mediated m6 A methylation in the salt stress adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Cai
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Jianzhong Hu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Tao Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Hunseung Kang
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
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12
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Li L, Qiu M, Song S, Li Y, Wang T, Yang H, Dong H, Zhang L, Qiu Y, Xia S, Gong M, Wang J, Li L. Loss of function of OsL1 gene cause early flowering in rice under short-day conditions. MOLECULAR BREEDING : NEW STRATEGIES IN PLANT IMPROVEMENT 2024; 44:17. [PMID: 38371313 PMCID: PMC10873259 DOI: 10.1007/s11032-024-01444-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Heading date is one of the important agronomic traits that affects rice yield. In this study, we cloned a new rice B3 family gene, OsL1, which regulates rice heading date. Importantly, osl1-1 and osl1-2, two different types of mutants of OsL1 were created using the gene editing technology CRISPR/Cas9 system and exhibited 4 days earlier heading date than that of the wild type under short-day conditions. Subsequently, the plants overexpressing OsL1, OE-OsL1, showed a 2-day later heading date than the wild type in Changsha and a 5-day later heading date in Lingshui, but there was no significant difference in other yield traits. Moreover, the results of subcellular localization study indicated that OsL1 protein was located in the nucleus and the expression pattern analysis showed that OsL1 gene was expressed in rice roots, stems, leaves, and panicles, and the expression level was higher at the root and weak green panicle. In addition, the OsL1 gene was mainly expressed at night time under short-light conditions. The transcriptomic analysis indicated that OsL1 might be involved in the Hd1-Hd3a pathway function. Together, our results revealed that the cloning and functional analysis of OsL1 can provide new strategy for molecular design breeding of rice with suitable fertility period. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-024-01444-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Li
- Longping Branch, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410125 China
| | - Mudan Qiu
- College of Agricultural, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128 China
| | - Shufeng Song
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125 China
| | - Yixing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125 China
| | - Tiankang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125 China
| | - Hanshu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125 China
| | - Hao Dong
- Longping Branch, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410125 China
| | - Longhui Zhang
- College of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228 China
| | - Yingxin Qiu
- Longping Branch, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410125 China
| | - Siqi Xia
- College of Agricultural, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128 China
| | - Mengmeng Gong
- College of Agricultural, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128 China
| | - Jianlong Wang
- College of Agricultural, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128 China
| | - Li Li
- Longping Branch, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha, 410125 China
- State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Changsha, 410125 China
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13
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Nielsen M, Menon G, Zhao Y, Mateo-Bonmati E, Wolff P, Zhou S, Howard M, Dean C. COOLAIR and PRC2 function in parallel to silence FLC during vernalization. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2311474121. [PMID: 38236739 PMCID: PMC10823242 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311474121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Noncoding transcription induces chromatin changes that can mediate environmental responsiveness, but the causes and consequences of these mechanisms are still unclear. Here, we investigate how antisense transcription (termed COOLAIR) interfaces with Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) silencing during winter-induced epigenetic regulation of Arabidopsis FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). We use genetic and chromatin analyses on lines ineffective or hyperactive for the antisense pathway in combination with computational modeling to define the mechanisms underlying FLC repression. Our results show that FLC is silenced through pathways that function with different dynamics: a COOLAIR transcription-mediated pathway capable of fast response and in parallel a slow PRC2 switching mechanism that maintains each allele in an epigenetically silenced state. Components of both the COOLAIR and PRC2 pathways are regulated by a common transcriptional regulator (NTL8), which accumulates by reduced dilution due to slow growth at low temperature. The parallel activities of the regulatory steps, and their control by temperature-dependent growth dynamics, create a flexible system for registering widely fluctuating natural temperature conditions that change year on year, and yet ensure robust epigenetic silencing of FLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Nielsen
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
| | - Govind Menon
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
| | - Yusheng Zhao
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
| | - Eduardo Mateo-Bonmati
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
| | - Philip Wolff
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
| | - Shaoli Zhou
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Howard
- Computational and Systems Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Dean
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, John Innes Centre, NorwichNR4 7UH, United Kingdom
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14
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Jiang B, Zhong Z, Gu L, Zhang X, Wei J, Ye C, Lin G, Qu G, Xiang X, Wen C, Hummel M, Bailey-Serres J, Wang Q, He C, Wang X, Lin C. Light-induced LLPS of the CRY2/SPA1/FIO1 complex regulating mRNA methylation and chlorophyll homeostasis in Arabidopsis. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:2042-2058. [PMID: 38066290 PMCID: PMC10724061 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01580-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Light regulates chlorophyll homeostasis and photosynthesis via various molecular mechanisms in plants. The light regulation of transcription and protein stability of nuclear-encoded chloroplast proteins have been extensively studied, but how light regulation of mRNA metabolism affects abundance of nuclear-encoded chloroplast proteins and chlorophyll homeostasis remains poorly understood. Here we show that the blue light receptor cryptochrome 2 (CRY2) and the METTL16-type m6A writer FIONA1 (FIO1) regulate chlorophyll homeostasis in response to blue light. In contrast to the CRY2-mediated photo-condensation of the mRNA adenosine methylase (MTA), photoexcited CRY2 co-condenses FIO1 only in the presence of the CRY2-signalling protein SUPPRESSOR of PHYTOCHROME A (SPA1). CRY2 and SPA1 synergistically or additively activate the RNA methyltransferase activity of FIO1 in vitro, whereas CRY2 and FIO1, but not MTA, are required for the light-induced methylation and translation of the mRNAs encoding multiple chlorophyll homeostasis regulators in vivo. Our study demonstrates that the light-induced liquid-liquid phase separation of the photoreceptor/writer complexes is commonly involved in the regulation of photoresponsive changes of mRNA methylation, whereas the different photo-condensation mechanisms of the CRY/FIO1 and CRY/MTA complexes explain, at least partially, the writer-specific functions in plant photomorphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bochen Jiang
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Zhenhui Zhong
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Lianfeng Gu
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xueyang Zhang
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Jiangbo Wei
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Chang Ye
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Guifang Lin
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Gaoping Qu
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Xian Xiang
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chenjin Wen
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Maureen Hummel
- Center for Plant Cell Biology and Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Julia Bailey-Serres
- Center for Plant Cell Biology and Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Qin Wang
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Chuan He
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Xu Wang
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
- Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Agricultural Sciences at Weifang, Peking University Institute of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, Weifang, China.
| | - Chentao Lin
- Basic Forestry and Plant Proteomics Research Center, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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15
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Qiao Y, Li YG, Wei TL, Liu HN, Pei MS, Zhu XJ, Zhu ZH, Guo DL. Identification of watermelon H3K4 and H3K27 genes and their expression profiles during watermelon fruit development. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:8259-8270. [PMID: 37572210 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08727-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ClaH3K4s and ClaH3K27s gene families are subfamilies of the SET family, each with a highly conserved SET structure domain and a PHD structural domain. Both participate in histone protein methylation, which affects the chromosome structure and gene expression, and is essential for fruit growth and development. METHODS AND RESULTS In order to demonstrate the structure and expression characteristics of ClaH3K4s and ClaH3K27s in watermelon, members of the watermelon H3K4 and H3K27 gene families were identified, and their chromosomal localization, gene structure, and protein structural domains were analyzed. The phylogeny and covariance of the gene families with other species were subsequently determined, and the expression profiles were obtained by performing RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR. The watermelon genome had five H3K4 genes with 3207-8043 bp nucleotide sequence lengths and four H3K27 genes with a 1107-5499 bp nucleotide sequence. Synteny analysis revealed the close relationship between watermelon and cucumber, with the majority of members displaying a one-to-one covariance. Approximately half of the 'Hua-Jing 13 watermelon' ClaH3K4s and ClaH3K27s genes were expressed more in the late fruit development stages, while the changes were minimal for the remaining half. H3K4-2 expression was observed to be slightly greater on day 21 compared to other periods. Moreover, ClaH3K27-1 and ClaH3K27-2 were hardly expressed throughout the developing period, and ClaH3K27-4 exhibited the highest expression. CONCLUSION These results serve as a basis for further functional characterization of the H3K4 and H3K27 genes in the fruit development of watermelon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Qiao
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Yan-Ge Li
- Luoyang Nongfa Agricultural Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Luoyang, 471100, Henan Province, China
| | - Tong-Lu Wei
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Hai-Nan Liu
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Mao-Song Pei
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China
| | - Xue-Jie Zhu
- Luoyang Nongfa Agricultural Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Luoyang, 471100, Henan Province, China
| | - Zhong-Hou Zhu
- Luoyang Nongfa Agricultural Biotechnology Co. Ltd, Luoyang, 471100, Henan Province, China
| | - Da-Long Guo
- College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, 471023, Henan Province, China.
- Henan Engineering Technology Research Center of Quality Regulation and Controlling of Horticultural Plants, Luoyang, 471023, China.
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16
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Shi M, Wang C, Wang P, Yun F, Liu Z, Ye F, Wei L, Liao W. Role of methylation in vernalization and photoperiod pathway: a potential flowering regulator? HORTICULTURE RESEARCH 2023; 10:uhad174. [PMID: 37841501 PMCID: PMC10569243 DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Recognized as a pivotal developmental transition, flowering marks the continuation of a plant's life cycle. Vernalization and photoperiod are two major flowering pathways orchestrating numerous florigenic signals. Methylation, including histone, DNA and RNA methylation, is one of the recent foci in plant development. Considerable studies reveal that methylation seems to show an increasing potential regulatory role in plant flowering via altering relevant gene expression without altering the genetic basis. However, little has been reviewed about whether and how methylation acts on vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering before and after FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) reactivation, what role RNA methylation plays in vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering, how methylation participates simultaneously in both vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering, the heritability of methylation memory under the vernalization/photoperiod pathway, and whether and how methylation replaces vernalization/photoinduction to regulate flowering. Our review provides insight about the crosstalk among the genetic control of the flowering gene network, methylation (methyltransferases/demethylases) and external signals (cold, light, sRNA and phytohormones) in vernalization and photoperiod pathways. The existing evidence that RNA methylation may play a potential regulatory role in vernalization- and photoperiod-induced flowering has been gathered and represented for the first time. This review speculates about and discusses the possibility of substituting methylation for vernalization and photoinduction to promote flowering. Current evidence is utilized to discuss the possibility of future methylation reagents becoming flowering regulators at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meimei Shi
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Chunlei Wang
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Peng Wang
- Vegetable and Flower Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Fahong Yun
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Zhiya Liu
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Fujin Ye
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Lijuan Wei
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
| | - Weibiao Liao
- College of Horticulture, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, China
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17
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Tang J, Chen S, Jia G. Detection, regulation, and functions of RNA N 6-methyladenosine modification in plants. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 4:100546. [PMID: 36627844 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant internal chemical modification in eukaryotic mRNA and plays important roles in gene expression regulation, including transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. m6A is a reversible modification that is installed, removed, and recognized by methyltransferases (writers), demethylases (erasers), and m6A-binding proteins (readers), respectively. Recently, the breadth of research on m6A in plants has expanded, and the vital roles of m6A in plant development, biotic and abiotic stress responses, and crop trait improvement have been investigated. In this review, we discuss recent developments in research on m6A and highlight the detection methods, distribution, regulatory proteins, and molecular and biological functions of m6A in plants. We also offer some perspectives on future investigations, providing direction for subsequent research on m6A in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Tang
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shuyan Chen
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Guifang Jia
- Synthetic and Functional Biomolecules Center, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry and Molecular Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China.
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18
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Amara U, Hu J, Cai J, Kang H. FLK is an mRNA m 6A reader that regulates floral transition by modulating the stability and splicing of FLC in Arabidopsis. MOLECULAR PLANT 2023; 16:919-929. [PMID: 37050878 DOI: 10.1016/j.molp.2023.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A), which is added, removed, and interpreted by m6A writers, erasers, and readers, respectively, is the most abundant modification in eukaryotic mRNAs. The m6A marks play a pivotal role in the regulation of floral transition in plants. FLOWERING LOCUS K (FLK), an RNA-binding protein harboring K-homology (KH) motifs, is known to regulate floral transition by repressing the levels of a key floral repressor FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) in Arabidopsis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying FLK-mediated FLC regulation remains unclear. In this study, we identified FLK as a novel mRNA m6A reader protein that directly binds the m6A site in the 3'-untranslated region of FLC transcripts to repressing FLC levels by reducing its stability and splicing. Importantly, FLK binding of FLC transcripts was abolished in vir-1, an m6A writer mutant, and the late-flowering phenotype of the flk mutant could not be rescued by genetic complementation using the mutant FLKm gene, in which the m6A reader encoding function was eliminated, indicating that FLK binds and regulates FLC expression in an m6A-dependent manner. Collectively, our study has addressed a long-standing question of how FLK regulates FLC transcript levels and established a molecular link between the FLK-mediated recognition of m6A modifications on FLC transcripts and floral transition in Arabidopsis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umme Amara
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea
| | - Jianzhong Hu
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea
| | - Jing Cai
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea
| | - Hunseung Kang
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 61186, South Korea.
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19
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Reis RS. Thermomorphogenesis: Opportunities and challenges in posttranscriptional regulation. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2023:7134107. [PMID: 37082809 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erad134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Plants exposed to mildly elevated temperatures display morphological and developmental changes collectively termed thermomorphogenesis. This adaptative process has several undesirable consequences to food production, including yield reduction and increased vulnerability to pathogens. Understanding thermomorphogenesis is, thus, critical for understanding how plants will respond to increasingly warmer temperature conditions, such as those caused by climate change. Recently, we have made major advances in that direction, and it has become apparent that plants resource to a broad range of molecules and molecular mechanisms to perceive and respond to increases in environmental temperature. However, most of our efforts have been focused on regulation of transcription and protein abundance and activity, with an important gap encompassing nearly all processes involving RNA (i.e., posttranscriptional regulation). Here, I summarized our current knowledge of thermomorphogenesis involving transcriptional, posttranscriptional, and posttranslational regulation, focused on opportunities and challenges in understanding posttranscriptional regulation-a fertile field for exciting new discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo S Reis
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, Bern, Switzerland
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20
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Chuong NN, Doan PPT, Wang L, Kim JH, Kim J. Current Insights into m 6A RNA Methylation and Its Emerging Role in Plant Circadian Clock. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:624. [PMID: 36771711 PMCID: PMC9920239 DOI: 10.3390/plants12030624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
N6-adenosine methylation (m6A) is a prevalent form of RNA modification found in the expressed transcripts of many eukaryotic organisms. Moreover, m6A methylation is a dynamic and reversible process that requires the functioning of various proteins and their complexes that are evolutionarily conserved between species and include methylases, demethylases, and m6A-binding proteins. Over the past decade, the m6A methylation process in plants has been extensively studied and the understanding thereof has drastically increased, although the regulatory function of some components relies on information derived from animal systems. Notably, m6A has been found to be involved in a variety of factors in RNA processing, such as RNA stability, alternative polyadenylation, and miRNA regulation. The circadian clock in plants is a molecular timekeeping system that regulates the daily and rhythmic activity of many cellular and physiological processes in response to environmental changes such as the day-night cycle. The circadian clock regulates the rhythmic expression of genes through post-transcriptional regulation of mRNA. Recently, m6A methylation has emerged as an additional layer of post-transcriptional regulation that is necessary for the proper functioning of the plant circadian clock. In this review, we have compiled and summarized recent insights into the molecular mechanisms behind m6A modification and its various roles in the regulation of RNA. We discuss the potential role of m6A modification in regulating the plant circadian clock and outline potential future directions for the study of mRNA methylation in plants. A deeper understanding of the mechanism of m6A RNA regulation and its role in plant circadian clocks will contribute to a greater understanding of the plant circadian clock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen Nguyen Chuong
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology & Science, Jeju National University, Jeju 690756, Republic of Korea
| | - Phan Phuong Thao Doan
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology & Science, Jeju National University, Jeju 690756, Republic of Korea
| | - Lanshuo Wang
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology & Science, Jeju National University, Jeju 690756, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Hee Kim
- Subtropical Horticulture Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 690756, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeongsik Kim
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology & Science, Jeju National University, Jeju 690756, Republic of Korea
- Subtropical Horticulture Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju 690756, Republic of Korea
- Faculty of Science Education, Jeju National University, Jeju 690756, Republic of Korea
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21
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Parker MT, Soanes BK, Kusakina J, Larrieu A, Knop K, Joy N, Breidenbach F, Sherwood AV, Barton GJ, Fica SM, Davies BH, Simpson GG. m 6A modification of U6 snRNA modulates usage of two major classes of pre-mRNA 5' splice site. eLife 2022; 11:e78808. [PMID: 36409063 PMCID: PMC9803359 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative splicing of messenger RNAs is associated with the evolution of developmentally complex eukaryotes. Splicing is mediated by the spliceosome, and docking of the pre-mRNA 5' splice site into the spliceosome active site depends upon pairing with the conserved ACAGA sequence of U6 snRNA. In some species, including humans, the central adenosine of the ACAGA box is modified by N6 methylation, but the role of this m6A modification is poorly understood. Here, we show that m6A modified U6 snRNA determines the accuracy and efficiency of splicing. We reveal that the conserved methyltransferase, FIONA1, is required for Arabidopsis U6 snRNA m6A modification. Arabidopsis fio1 mutants show disrupted patterns of splicing that can be explained by the sequence composition of 5' splice sites and cooperative roles for U5 and U6 snRNA in splice site selection. U6 snRNA m6A influences 3' splice site usage. We generalise these findings to reveal two major classes of 5' splice site in diverse eukaryotes, which display anti-correlated interaction potential with U5 snRNA loop 1 and the U6 snRNA ACAGA box. We conclude that U6 snRNA m6A modification contributes to the selection of degenerate 5' splice sites crucial to alternative splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew T Parker
- School of Life Sciences, University of DundeeDundeeUnited Kingdom
| | - Beth K Soanes
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of LeedsLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Jelena Kusakina
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of LeedsLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Antoine Larrieu
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of LeedsLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Katarzyna Knop
- School of Life Sciences, University of DundeeDundeeUnited Kingdom
| | - Nisha Joy
- School of Life Sciences, University of DundeeDundeeUnited Kingdom
| | - Friedrich Breidenbach
- School of Life Sciences, University of DundeeDundeeUnited Kingdom
- RNA Biology and Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Biology, Bielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Anna V Sherwood
- School of Life Sciences, University of DundeeDundeeUnited Kingdom
| | | | - Sebastian M Fica
- Department of Biochemistry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Brendan H Davies
- Centre for Plant Sciences, School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of LeedsLeedsUnited Kingdom
| | - Gordon G Simpson
- School of Life Sciences, University of DundeeDundeeUnited Kingdom
- Cell & Molecular Sciences, James Hutton InstituteInvergowrieUnited Kingdom
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