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Yang Y, Li Z, Zhang J. ZmNF-YA1 Contributes to Maize Thermotolerance by Regulating Heat Shock Response. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6275. [PMID: 38892463 PMCID: PMC11173165 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116275] [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: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Zea mays (maize) is a staple food, feed, and industrial crop. Heat stress is one of the major stresses affecting maize production and is usually accompanied by other stresses, such as drought. Our previous study identified a heterotrimer complex, ZmNF-YA1-YB16-YC17, in maize. ZmNF-YA1 and ZmNF-YB16 were positive regulators of the drought stress response and were involved in maize root development. In this study, we investigated whether ZmNF-YA1 confers heat stress tolerance in maize. The nf-ya1 mutant and overexpression lines were used to test the role of ZmNF-YA1 in maize thermotolerance. The nf-ya1 mutant was more temperature-sensitive than the wild-type (WT), while the ZmNF-YA1 overexpression lines showed a thermotolerant phenotype. Higher malondialdehyde (MDA) content and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation were observed in the mutant, followed by WT and overexpression lines after heat stress treatment, while an opposite trend was observed for chlorophyll content. RNA-seq was used to analyze transcriptome changes in nf-ya1 and its wild-type control W22 in response to heat stress. Based on their expression profiles, the heat stress response-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in nf-ya1 compared to WT were grouped into seven clusters via k-means clustering. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of the DEGs in different clades was performed to elucidate the roles of ZmNF-YA1-mediated transcriptional regulation and their contribution to maize thermotolerance. The loss function of ZmNF-YA1 led to the failure induction of DEGs in GO terms of protein refolding, protein stabilization, and GO terms for various stress responses. Thus, the contribution of ZmNF-YA1 to protein stabilization, refolding, and regulation of abscisic acid (ABA), ROS, and heat/temperature signaling may be the major reason why ZmNF-YA1 overexpression enhanced heat tolerance, and the mutant showed a heat-sensitive phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaling Yang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China;
| | - Zhaoxia Li
- Agronomy College, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China;
| | - Juren Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China;
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Sharma P, Mishra S, Pandey B, Singh G. Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the NHX gene family under salt stress in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1266699. [PMID: 38111881 PMCID: PMC10726055 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1266699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
Salt stress affects plant growth and development, resulting in the loss of crop yield across the world, and sodium-proton antiporters (NHXs) are one of the genes known to promote salt tolerance in transgenic plants. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive genome-wide analysis and expression profile of NHX genes in wheat under salinity stress. We identified 30 TaNHX genes in wheat based on the Na+/H+ exchanger domain, with all genes containing an amiloride motif except one, a known for inhibiting Na+ ions in plants. Phylogenetic analysis classified these genes into three classes with subfamilies: 12 were localized in vacuoles, while 18 were in the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane. Promoter analysis revealed stress-related cis-acting elements, indicating their potential role in abiotic stress tolerance. The non-synonymous (Ka)/synonymous (Ks) ratios highlighted that the majority of TaNHX genes experienced robust purifying selection throughout their evolutionary history. Transcriptomis data analysis and qRT-PCR demonstrated distinct expression patterns for TaNHX genes across various tissues when subjected to salt stress. Additionally, we predicted 20 different miRNA candidates targeting the identified TaNHX genes. Protein-protein interaction prediction revealed NHX6's involvement in the SOS1 pathway, while NHX1 gene exhibit proton antiporter activity. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were also conducted to examine the interactions of TaNHX1, TaNHX2, and TaNHX3. These results represent a significant advancement in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing Na+ transporters. This may also offer promising avenues for future studies aimed at unraveling the intricate details of their biological roles and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep Sharma
- Crop Improvement division, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Researh, Karnal, India
| | - Shefali Mishra
- Crop Improvement division, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Researh, Karnal, India
| | - Bharati Pandey
- Division of AgriBioinformatics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Statistics Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Gyanendra Singh
- Crop Improvement division, ICAR-Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Researh, Karnal, India
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3
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Azad MF, Dawar P, Esim N, Rock CD. Role of miRNAs in sucrose stress response, reactive oxygen species, and anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1278320. [PMID: 38023835 PMCID: PMC10656695 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1278320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
In plants, sucrose is the main transported disaccharide that is the primary product of photosynthesis and controls a multitude of aspects of the plant life cycle including structure, growth, development, and stress response. Sucrose is a signaling molecule facilitating various stress adaptations by crosstalk with other hormones, but the molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Accumulation of high sucrose concentrations is a hallmark of many abiotic and biotic stresses, resulting in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species and secondary metabolite anthocyanins that have antioxidant properties. Previous studies have shown that several MYeloBlastosis family/MYB transcription factors are positive and negative regulators of sucrose-induced anthocyanin accumulation and subject to microRNA (miRNA)-mediated post-transcriptional silencing, consistent with the notion that miRNAs may be "nodes" in crosstalk signaling by virtue of their sequence-guided targeting of different homologous family members. In this study, we endeavored to uncover by deep sequencing small RNA and mRNA transcriptomes the effects of exogenous high sucrose stress on miRNA abundances and their validated target transcripts in Arabidopsis. We focused on genotype-by-treatment effects of high sucrose stress in Production of Anthocyanin Pigment 1-Dominant/pap1-D, an activation-tagged dominant allele of MYB75 transcription factor, a positive effector of secondary metabolite anthocyanin pathway. In the process, we discovered links to reactive oxygen species signaling through miR158/161/173-targeted Pentatrico Peptide Repeat genes and two novel non-canonical targets of high sucrose-induced miR408 and miR398b*(star), relevant to carbon metabolic fluxes: Flavonoid 3'-Hydroxlase (F3'H), an important enzyme in determining the B-ring hydroxylation pattern of flavonoids, and ORANGE a post-translational regulator of Phytoene Synthase expression, respectively. Taken together, our results contribute to understanding the molecular mechanisms of carbon flux shifts from primary to secondary metabolites in response to high sugar stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md. Fakhrul Azad
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Pranav Dawar
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
| | - Nevzat Esim
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Bіngöl University, Bingöl, Türkiye
| | - Christopher D. Rock
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States
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Ji J, Zeng Y, Zhang S, Chen F, Hou X, Li Q. The miR169b/NFYA1 module from the halophyte Halostachys caspica endows salt and drought tolerance in Arabidopsis through multi-pathways. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 13:1026421. [PMID: 36726670 PMCID: PMC9886095 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1026421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Salt and drought are the major abiotic stress factors plaguing plant growth, development and crop yields. Certain abiotic-stress tolerant plants have developed special mechanisms for adapting to adverse environments in the long process of evolution. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which they can exert resistance to abiotic stresses is beneficial for breeding new cultivars to guide agricultural production. Halostachys caspica, a perennial halophyte belonging to Halostachys in Amaranthaceae, is extremely tolerant to harsh environments, which is commonly grown in the saline-alkali arid desert area of Northwest, China. However, the molecular mechanism of stress tolerance is unclear. Nuclear Factor Y-A (NFYA) is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of downstream genes in plant response to adverse environments. It has also been reported that some members of the NFYA family are the main targets of miR169 in plants. In this study, we mainly focused on exploring the functions and preliminary mechanism of the miR169b/NFYA1 module from H. caspica to abiotic stress. The main results showed that RLM-RACE technology validated that HcNFYA1 was targeted by HcmiR169b, qRT-PCR revealed that HcmiR169b was repressed and HcNFYA1 was induced in the H. caspica branches under various abiotic stress as well ABA treatment and Arabidopsis stable transformation platform with molecular methods was applied to elucidate that the HcmiR169b/HcNFYA1 module conferred the salt and drought tolerance to plants by enhancing ABA synthesis and ABA signal transduction pathways, maintaining ROS homeostasis and the stability of cell membrane. HcNFYA1 is expected to be a candidate gene to improve plant resistance to salt and drought stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jieyun Ji
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, sChina
| | - Youling Zeng
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, sChina
| | - Suwei Zhang
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, sChina
| | - Fangyuan Chen
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, sChina
| | - Xianfei Hou
- Institute of Economic Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Qiang Li
- Institute of Economic Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
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Yang Y, Wang B, Wang J, He C, Zhang D, Li P, Zhang J, Li Z. Transcription factors ZmNF-YA1 and ZmNF-YB16 regulate plant growth and drought tolerance in maize. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 190:1506-1525. [PMID: 35861438 PMCID: PMC9516732 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The identification of drought stress regulatory genes is crucial for the genetic improvement of maize (Zea mays L.) yield. Nuclear factors Y (NF-Ys) are important transcription factors, but their roles in the drought stress tolerance of plants and underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. In this work, we used yeast two-hybrid screening to identify potential interactors of ZmNF-YB16 and confirmed the interaction between ZmNF-YA1 and ZmNF-YB16-YC17 and between ZmNF-YA7 and ZmNF-YB16-YC17. ZmNF-YB16 interacted with ZmNF-YC17 via its histone fold domain to form a heterodimer in the cytoplasm and then entered the nucleus to form a heterotrimer with ZmNF-YA1 or ZmNF-YA7 under osmotic stress. Overexpression of ZmNF-YA1 improved drought and salt stress tolerance and root development of maize, whereas zmnf-ya1 mutants exhibited drought and salt stress sensitivity. ZmNF-YA1-mediated transcriptional regulation, especially in JA signaling, histone modification, and chromatin remodeling, could underlie the altered stress tolerance of zmnf-ya1 mutant plants. ZmNF-YA1 bound to promoter CCAAT motifs and directly regulated the expression of multiple genes that play important roles in stress responses and plant development. Comparison of ZmNF-YB16- and ZmNF-YA1-regulated genes showed that ZmNF-YA1 and ZmNF-YB16 have similar biological functions in stress responses but varied functions in other biological processes. Taken together, ZmNF-YA1 is a positive regulator of plant drought and salt stress responses and is involved in the root development of maize, and ZmNF-Y complexes with different subunits may have discrepant functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Chunmei He
- Maize Research Institute, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Jinan 250100, Shandong, China
| | - Dengfeng Zhang
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Peng Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Juren Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Development and Environment Adaptation Biology, Ministry of Education, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
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Farooqi MQU, Nawaz G, Wani SH, Choudhary JR, Rana M, Sah RP, Afzal M, Zahra Z, Ganie SA, Razzaq A, Reyes VP, Mahmoud EA, Elansary HO, El-Abedin TKZ, Siddique KHM. Recent developments in multi-omics and breeding strategies for abiotic stress tolerance in maize ( Zea mays L.). FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:965878. [PMID: 36212378 PMCID: PMC9538355 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.965878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing technologies (HSTs) have revolutionized crop breeding. The advent of these technologies has enabled the identification of beneficial quantitative trait loci (QTL), genes, and alleles for crop improvement. Climate change have made a significant effect on the global maize yield. To date, the well-known omic approaches such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics are being incorporated in maize breeding studies. These approaches have identified novel biological markers that are being utilized for maize improvement against various abiotic stresses. This review discusses the current information on the morpho-physiological and molecular mechanism of abiotic stress tolerance in maize. The utilization of omics approaches to improve abiotic stress tolerance in maize is highlighted. As compared to single approach, the integration of multi-omics offers a great potential in addressing the challenges of abiotic stresses of maize productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ghazala Nawaz
- Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan
| | - Shabir Hussain Wani
- Mountain Research Centre for Field Crops, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar, India
| | - Jeet Ram Choudhary
- Division of Genetics, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, India
| | - Maneet Rana
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi, India
| | - Rameswar Prasad Sah
- Division of Crop Improvement, ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack, India
| | - Muhammad Afzal
- College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Zahra Zahra
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | | | - Ali Razzaq
- Agronomy Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
| | | | - Eman A. Mahmoud
- Department of Food Industries, Faculty of Agriculture, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt
| | - Hosam O. Elansary
- Plant Production Department, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Floriculture, Ornamental Horticulture, and Garden Design Department, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
- Department of Geography, Environmental Management, and Energy Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tarek K. Zin El-Abedin
- Department of Agriculture & Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture (El-Shatby), Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
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7
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Ullah I, Kamel EAR, Shah ST, Basit A, Mohamed HI, Sajid M. Application of RNAi technology: a novel approach to navigate abiotic stresses. Mol Biol Rep 2022; 49:10975-10993. [PMID: 36057876 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-022-07871-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Due to the rising population globally, and the demand for food, it is critical to significantly increase crop production by 2050. However, climate change estimates show that droughts and heatwaves will become more prevalent in many parts of the world, posing a severe danger to food output. METHODS Selective breeding based on genetic diversity is falling short of meeting the expanding need for food and feed. However, the advent of modern plant genetic engineering, genome editing, and synthetic biology provides precise techniques for producing crops capable of sustaining yield under stress situations. RESULTS As a result, crop varieties with built-in genetic tolerance to environmental challenges are desperately needed. In the recent years, small RNA (sRNA) data has progressed to become one of the most effective approaches for the improvement of crops. So many sRNAs (18-30nt) have been found with the use of hi-tech bioinformatics and sequencing techniques which are involved in the regulation of sequence specific gene noncoding RNAs (short ncRNAs) i.e., microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA). Such research outcomes may advance our understanding of the genetic basis of adaptability of plants to various environmental challenges and the genetic variation of plant's tolerance to a number of abiotic stresses. CONCLUSION The review article highlights current trends and advances in sRNAs' critical role in responses of plants to drought, heat, cold, and salinity, and also the potential technology that identifies the abiotic stress-regulated sRNAs, and techniques for analyzing and validating the target genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Izhar Ullah
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
| | - Ehab A R Kamel
- Department of Biological and Geological Sciences, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Syed Tanveer Shah
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
| | - Abdul Basit
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
| | - Heba I Mohamed
- Department of Biological and Geological Sciences, Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Muhammad Sajid
- Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Crop Production Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan
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Zhang M, Zheng H, Jin L, Xing L, Zou J, Zhang L, Liu C, Chu J, Xu M, Wang L. miR169o and ZmNF-YA13 act in concert to coordinate the expression of ZmYUC1 that determines seed size and weight in maize kernels. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 235:2270-2284. [PMID: 35713356 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key regulatory roles in seed development and emerge as new key targets for engineering grain size and yield. The Zma-miRNA169 family is highly expressed during maize seed development, but its functional roles in seed development remain elusive. Here, we generated zma-miR169o and ZmNF-YA13 transgenic plants. Phenotypic and genetic analyses were performed on these lines. Seed development and auxins contents were investigated. Overexpression of maize miRNA zma-miR169o increases seed size and weight, whereas the opposite is true when its expression is suppressed. Further studies revealed that zma-miR169 acts by negatively regulating its target gene, a transcription factor ZmNF-YA13 that also plays a key role in determining seed size. We demonstrate that ZmNF-YA13 regulates the expression of the auxin biosynthetic gene ZmYUC1, which modulates auxin levels in the early developing seeds and determines the number of endosperm cells, thereby governing maize seed size and ultimately yield. Overall, our present study has identified zma-miR169o and ZmNF-YA13 that form a functional module regulating auxin accumulation in maize seeds and playing an important role in determining maize seed size and yield, providing a set of novel molecular tools for yield improvement in molecular breeding and genetic engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
| | - Hongyan Zheng
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
- National Nanfan Research Institute (Sanya), 572022, Sanya, Hainan, China
| | - Lian Jin
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
| | - Lijuan Xing
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
| | - Junjie Zou
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
| | - Lan Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
| | - Cuimei Liu
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
| | - Jinfang Chu
- National Centre for Plant Gene Research (Beijing), Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China
- College of Advanced Agricultural Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100039, Beijing, China
| | - Miaoyun Xu
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Wang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, 100081, Beijing, China
- National Nanfan Research Institute (Sanya), 572022, Sanya, Hainan, China
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Singh A, Jain D, Pandey J, Yadav M, Bansal KC, Singh IK. Deciphering the role of miRNA in reprogramming plant responses to drought stress. Crit Rev Biotechnol 2022; 43:613-627. [PMID: 35469523 DOI: 10.1080/07388551.2022.2047880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Drought is the most prevalent environmental stress that affects plants' growth, development, and crop productivity. However, plants have evolved adaptive mechanisms to respond to the harmful effects of drought. They reprogram their: transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome that alter their cellular and physiological processes and establish cellular homeostasis. One of the crucial regulatory processes that govern this reprogramming is post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs, involved in the downregulation of the target mRNA via translation inhibition/mRNA degradation/miRNA-mediated mRNA decay/ribosome drop off/DNA methylation. Many drought-inducible miRNAs have been identified and characterized in plants. Their main targets are regulatory genes that influence growth, development, osmotic stress tolerance, antioxidant defense, phytohormone-mediated signaling, and delayed senescence during drought stress. Overexpression of drought-responsive miRNAs (Osa-miR535, miR160, miR408, Osa-miR393, Osa-miR319, and Gma-miR394) in certain plants has led to tolerance against drought stress indicating their vital role in stress mitigation. Similarly, knock down (miR166/miR398c) or deletion (miR169 and miR827) of miRNAs has also resulted in tolerance to drought stress. Likewise, engineered Arabidopsis plants with miR165, miR166 using short tandem target mimic strategy, exhibited drought tolerance. Since miRNAs regulate the expression of an array of drought-responsive genes, they can act as prospective targets for genetic manipulations to enhance drought tolerance in crops and achieve sustainable agriculture. Further investigations toward functional characterization of diverse miRNAs, and understanding stress-responses regulated by these miRNAs and their utilization in biotechnological applications is highly recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Archana Singh
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Deepti Jain
- Department of Plant Molecular Biology, Interdisciplinary Centre for Plant Genomics, Delhi University South Campus, New Delhi, India
| | - Jyotsna Pandey
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Manisha Yadav
- Department of Botany, Hansraj College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Kailash C Bansal
- The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (CGIAR), New Delhi, India
| | - Indrakant K Singh
- Department of Zoology, Molecular Biology Research Lab, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.,DBC i4 Center, Deshbandhu College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
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10
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Zhou J, Wu JT. Nitrate/ammonium-responsive microRNA-mRNA regulatory networks affect root system architecture in Populus × canescens. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2022; 22:96. [PMID: 35246022 PMCID: PMC8895855 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-022-03482-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) are the primary forms of inorganic nitrogen (N) taken up by plant roots, and a lack of these N sources commonly limits plant growth. To better understand how NO3- and NH4+ differentially affect root system architecture, we analyzed the expression profiles of microRNAs and their targets in poplar roots treated with three forms of nitrogen S1 (NO3-), S2 (NH4NO3, normal), and S3 (NH4+) via RNA sequencing. RESULTS The results revealed a total of 709 miRNAs. Among them, 57 significantly differentially expressed miRNAs and 28 differentially expressed miRNA-target pairs showed correlated expression profiles in S1 vs. S2. Thirty-six significantly differentially expressed miRNAs and 12 differentially expressed miRNA-target pairs showed correlated expression profiles in S3 vs. S2. In particular, NFYA3, a target of upregulated ptc-miR169i and ptc-miR169b, was downregulated in S1 vs. S2, while NFYA1, a target of upregulated ptc-miR169b, was downregulated in S3 vs. S2 and probably played an important role in the changes in root morphology observed when the poplar plants were treated with different N forms. Furthermore, the miRNA-target pairs ptc-miR169i/b-D6PKL2, ptc-miR393a-5p-AFB2, ptc-miR6445a-NAC14, ptc-miR172d-AP2, csi-miR396a-5p_R + 1_1ss21GA-EBP1, ath-miR396b-5p_R + 1-TPR4, and ptc-miR166a/b/c-ATHB-8 probably contributed to the changes in root morphology observed when poplar plants were treated with different N forms. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that differentially expressed miRNAs and their targets play an important role in the regulation of the poplar root system architecture by different N forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Silviculture of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.
| | - Jiang-Ting Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Silviculture of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China
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Xing L, Zhu M, Luan M, Zhang M, Jin L, Liu Y, Zou J, Wang L, Xu M. miR169q and NUCLEAR FACTOR YA8 enhance salt tolerance by activating PEROXIDASE1 expression in response to ROS. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 188:608-623. [PMID: 34718783 PMCID: PMC8774724 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Salt stress significantly reduces the productivity of crop plants including maize (Zea mays). miRNAs are major regulators of plant growth and stress responses, but few studies have examined the potential impacts of miRNAs on salt stress responses in maize. Here, we show that ZmmiR169q is responsive to stress-induced ROS signals. After detecting that salt stress and exogenous H2O2 treatment reduced the accumulation of ZmmiR169q, stress assays with transgenic materials showed that depleting ZmmiR169q increased seedling salt tolerance whereas overexpressing ZmmiR169q decreased salt tolerance. Helping explain these observations, we found that ZmmiR169q repressed the transcript abundance of its target NUCLEAR FACTOR YA8 (ZmNF-YA8), and overexpression of ZmNF-YA8 in maize improved salt tolerance, specifically by transcriptionally activating the expression of the efficient antioxidant enzyme PEROXIDASE1. Our study reveals a direct functional link between salt stress and a miR169q-NF-YA8 regulatory module that plants use to manage ROS stress and strongly suggests that ZmNF-YA8 can be harnessed as a resource for developing salt-tolerant crop varieties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Xing
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Ming Zhu
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Mingda Luan
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Min Zhang
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Lian Jin
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Yueping Liu
- College of Bioscience and Resources Environment, Beijing University of Agriculture, 102206 Beijing, China
| | - Junjie Zou
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Lei Wang
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
| | - Miaoyun Xu
- CAAS/Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics (Beijing), Ministry of Agriculture, Biotechnology Research Institute, 100081 Beijing, China
- Author for communication:
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Liu JN, Ma X, Yan L, Liang Q, Fang H, Wang C, Dong Y, Chai Z, Zhou R, Bao Y, Wang L, Gai S, Lang X, Yang KQ, Chen R, Wu D. MicroRNA and Degradome Profiling Uncover Defense Response of Fraxinus velutina Torr. to Salt Stress. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:847853. [PMID: 35432418 PMCID: PMC9011107 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.847853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Soil salinization is a major environmental problem that seriously threatens the sustainable development of regional ecosystems and local economies. Fraxinus velutina Torr. is an excellent salt-tolerant tree species, which is widely planted in the saline-alkaline soils in China. A growing body of evidence shows that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in the defense response of plants to salt stress; however, how miRNAs in F. velutina exert anti-salt stress remains unclear. We previously identified two contrasting F. velutina cuttings clones, salt-tolerant (R7) and salt-sensitive (S4) and found that R7 exhibits higher salt tolerance than S4. To identify salt-responsive miRNAs and their target genes, the leaves and roots of R7 and S4 exposed to salt stress were subjected to miRNA and degradome sequencing analysis. The results showed that compared with S4, R7 showed 89 and 138 differentially expressed miRNAs in leaves and roots, respectively. Specifically, in R7 leaves, miR164d, miR171b/c, miR396a, and miR160g targeting NAC1, SCL22, GRF1, and ARF18, respectively, were involved in salt tolerance. In R7 roots, miR396a, miR156a/b, miR8175, miR319a/d, and miR393a targeting TGA2.3, SBP14, GR-RBP, TCP2/4, and TIR1, respectively, participated in salt stress responses. Taken together, the findings presented here revealed the key regulatory network of miRNAs in R7 responding to salt stress, thereby providing new insights into improving salt tolerance of F. velutina through miRNA manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Ning Liu
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Xinmei Ma
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Liping Yan
- Shandong Provincial Academy of Forestry, Jinan, China
| | - Qiang Liang
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- Shandong Taishan Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- State Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Silviculture in Downstream Areas of the Yellow River, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Hongcheng Fang
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- Shandong Taishan Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- State Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Silviculture in Downstream Areas of the Yellow River, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Changxi Wang
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Yuhui Dong
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- Shandong Taishan Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- State Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Silviculture in Downstream Areas of the Yellow River, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Zejia Chai
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Rui Zhou
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Yan Bao
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Lichang Wang
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Shasha Gai
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Xinya Lang
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
| | - Ke Qiang Yang
- College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- Shandong Taishan Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- State Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Silviculture in Downstream Areas of the Yellow River, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, China
- *Correspondence: Ke Qiang Yang,
| | - Rong Chen
- Culaishan Forest Farm, Tai’an, China
- Rong Chen,
| | - Dejun Wu
- Shandong Provincial Academy of Forestry, Jinan, China
- Dejun Wu,
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Zhou J, Wu JT. Physiological characteristics and miRNA sequencing of two root zones with contrasting ammonium assimilation patterns in Populus. Genes Genomics 2021; 44:39-51. [PMID: 34455578 DOI: 10.1007/s13258-021-01156-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The net ammonium fluxes differ among the different root zones of Populus, but the physiological and microRNA regulatory mechanisms are unclear. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the physiological and miRNA regulatory mechanisms, we investigated the two root zones displaying significant differences in net NH4+ effluxes of P. × canescens. METHODS Populus plantlets were cultivated with 500 μM NH4Cl for 10 days. Six plants were randomly selected to determine the net NH4+ fluxes using a noninvasive microtest technique. High-throughput sequencing were used to determine the dynamic expression profile of miRNA among the different root zones of Populus. RESULTS Net NH4+ efflux in zone I (from 0 to 40 mm from the root apex) was - 19.64 pmol cm-2 s-1 and in zone II (from 40 to 80 mm) it was - 43.96 pmol cm-2 s-1. The expression of eleven miRNAs was significantly upregulated, whereas fifteen miRNAs were downregulated. Moreover, eighty-eight target genes of the significantly differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in root zone II compared with zone I. Particularly, ptc-miR171a/b/e and their target, SCL6, were found to be important for the difference in net NH4+ effluxes in the two root zones. Moreover, the expression of the target of ptc-miR169d, NFYA3 was upregulated in root zone II compared with root zone I, contributing to increased NH4+ efflux and decreased NH4+ assimilation in root zone II. CONCLUSION These results indicate that miRNAs regulate the expression levels of their target genes and thus play key roles in net NH4+ fluxes and NH4+ assimilation in different poplar root zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Silviculture of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.
| | - Jiang Ting Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Silviculture of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China
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Nazir MF, He S, Ahmed H, Sarfraz Z, Jia Y, Li H, Sun G, Iqbal MS, Pan Z, Du X. Genomic insight into the divergence and adaptive potential of a forgotten landrace G. hirsutum L. purpurascens. J Genet Genomics 2021; 48:473-484. [PMID: 34272194 DOI: 10.1016/j.jgg.2021.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Wild progenitors are an excellent source for strengthening the genetic basis and accumulation of desirable variation lost because of directional selection and adaptation in modern cultivars. Here, we re-evaluate a landrace of Gossypium hirsutum, formerly known as Gossypium purpurascens. Our study seeks to understand the genomic structure, variation, and breeding potential of this landrace, providing potential insights into the biogeographic history and genomic changes likely associated with domestication. A core set of accessions, including current varieties, obsolete accessions, G. purpurascens, and other geographical landraces, are subjected to genotyping along with multilocation phenotyping. Population fixation statistics suggests a marked differentiation between G. purpurascens and three other groups, emphasizing the divergent genomic behavior of G. purpurascens. Phylogenetic analysis establishes the primitive nature of G. purpurascens, identifying it as a vital source of functional variation, the inclusion of which in the upland cotton (cultivated G. hirsutum) gene pool may broaden the genetic basis of modern cultivars. Genome-wide association results indicate multiple loci associated with domestication regions corresponding to flowering and fiber quality. Moreover, the conserved nature of G. purpurascens can also provide insights into the evolutionary process of G. hirsutum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mian Faisal Nazir
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China
| | - Shoupu He
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China; School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China
| | - Haris Ahmed
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China
| | - Zareen Sarfraz
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China
| | - Yinhua Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China
| | - Hongge Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China; School of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China
| | - Gaofei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China
| | - Muhammad Shahid Iqbal
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China; Cotton Research Institute, Ayub Agricultural Research Institute, Multan 60000, Pakistan
| | - Zhaoe Pan
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China
| | - Xiongming Du
- State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, Henan 455000, China; Research Base, State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan 450001, China.
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Wang Z, Li ZF, Wang SS, Xiao YS, Xie XD, Wu MZ, Yu JL, Cheng LR, Yang AG, Yang J. NtMYB12a acts downstream of sucrose to inhibit fatty acid accumulation by targeting lipoxygenase and SFAR genes in tobacco. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 43:2287-2300. [PMID: 33225450 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
MYB12 promotes flavonol biosynthesis in plants by targeting several early biosynthesis genes (EBGs) of this pathway. The transcriptions of these EBGs are also induced by sucrose signal. However, whether MYB12 is activated by sucrose signal and what the other roles MYB12 has in regulating plant metabolism are poorly understood. In this study, two NtMYB12 genes were cloned from Nicotiana tabacum. Both NtMYB12a and NtMYB12b are involved in regulating flavonoids biosynthesis in tobacco. NtMYB12a is further shown to inhibit the accumulation of fatty acid (FA) in tobacco leaves and seeds. Post-translational activation and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that NtMYB12a directly promotes the transcriptions of NtLOX6, NtLOX5, NtSFAR4 and NtGDSL2, which encode lipoxygenase (LOX) or SFAR enzymes catalyzing the degradation of FA. NtLOX6 and NtLOX5 are shown to prevent the accumulation of FA in the mature seeds and significantly reduced the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in tobacco. Sucrose stimulates the transcription of NtMYB12a, and loss function of NtMYB12a partially suppresses the decrease of FA content in tobacco seedlings caused by sucrose treatment. The regulation of sucrose on the expression of NtLOX6 and NtGDSL2 genes is mediated by NtMYB12a, whereas those of NtLOX5 and NtSFAR4 genes are independent of sucrose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Wang
- China Tobacco Gene Research Center, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ze Feng Li
- China Tobacco Gene Research Center, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Shan Shan Wang
- Xiangyang Cigarette Factory, China Tobacco Hubei Industrial Co., Ltd., Xiangyang, China
| | - Yan Song Xiao
- Chenzhou Tobacco Company of Hunan Province, Chenzhou, China
| | - Xiao Dong Xie
- China Tobacco Gene Research Center, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ming Zhu Wu
- China Tobacco Gene Research Center, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jin Long Yu
- Chenzhou Tobacco Company of Hunan Province, Chenzhou, China
| | - Li Rui Cheng
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Ai Guo Yang
- Tobacco Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Qingdao, China
| | - Jun Yang
- China Tobacco Gene Research Center, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of CNTC, Zhengzhou, China
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16
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Xu T, Zhang L, Yang Z, Wei Y, Dong T. Identification and Functional Characterization of Plant MiRNA Under Salt Stress Shed Light on Salinity Resistance Improvement Through MiRNA Manipulation in Crops. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:665439. [PMID: 34220888 PMCID: PMC8247772 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.665439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Salinity, as a major environmental stressor, limits plant growth, development, and crop yield remarkably. However, plants evolve their own defense systems in response to salt stress. Recently, microRNA (miRNA) has been broadly studied and considered to be an important regulator of the plant salt-stress response at the post-transcription level. In this review, we have summarized the recent research progress on the identification, functional characterization, and regulatory mechanism of miRNA involved in salt stress, have discussed the emerging manipulation of miRNA to improve crop salt resistance, and have provided future direction for plant miRNA study under salt stress, suggesting that the salinity resistance of crops could be improved by the manipulation of microRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
- *Correspondence: Tao Xu,
| | - Long Zhang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Zhengmei Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
| | - Yiliang Wei
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Tingting Dong
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Phylogenomics and Comparative Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, China
- Tingting Dong,
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17
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Qu Y, Wang Y, Zhu J, Zhang Y, Hou H. Genomic Organization, Phylogenetic Comparison, and Differential Expression of the Nuclear Factor-Y Gene Family in Apple ( Malus Domestica). PLANTS 2020; 10:plants10010016. [PMID: 33374140 PMCID: PMC7824617 DOI: 10.3390/plants10010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
The nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) as a transcription factor plays an important role in plants growth and development, and response to stress. However, few genome-wide analyzes and functional research of the NF-Y family has been undertaken in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) so far. In this study, we comprehensively identified the 43 MdNF-Y genes in apple, which dispersedly distributed among the three subgroups based on their sequence alignment analysis, including 11 MdNF-YAs, 22 MdNF-YBs and 10 MdNF-YCs. The members in the same subgroups had similar evolution relationships, gene structures, and conserved motifs. The gene duplication analysis suggested that all the genes were dispersed followed by 27 segmental duplication. Moreover, based on synteny analysis of MdNF-Ys with eight plant species results suggested that some ortholog genes were preserved during the evolution of these species. Cis-element analysis showed potential functions of MdNF-Ys in apple growth and development and responded to abiotic stress. Furthermore, the interaction among MdNF-Ys protein were investigated in yeast two-hybrid assays. The expression patterns of MdNF-Ys in tissue-specific response reveled divergence and might play important role in apple growth and development. Subsequently, whole MdNF-Y genes family was carried out for RT-PCR in response to five abiotic stress (ABA, drought, heat, cold, and salinity) to identify their expression patterns. Taken together, our study will provide a foundation for the further study to the molecular mechanism of apple in growing development and response to abiotic stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanjie Qu
- College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China; (Y.Q.); (Y.W.); (J.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Genetic Development and Breeding in Horticultural Plants, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China
| | - Yaping Wang
- College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China; (Y.Q.); (Y.W.); (J.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Genetic Development and Breeding in Horticultural Plants, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China
| | - Jun Zhu
- College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China; (Y.Q.); (Y.W.); (J.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Genetic Development and Breeding in Horticultural Plants, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China
| | - Yugang Zhang
- College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China; (Y.Q.); (Y.W.); (J.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Genetic Development and Breeding in Horticultural Plants, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China
| | - Hongmin Hou
- College of Horticulture, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China; (Y.Q.); (Y.W.); (J.Z.); (Y.Z.)
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Genetic Development and Breeding in Horticultural Plants, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, Shandong, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-0532-860-80752
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Differential Expression of Maize and Teosinte microRNAs under Submergence, Drought, and Alternated Stress. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:plants9101367. [PMID: 33076374 PMCID: PMC7650716 DOI: 10.3390/plants9101367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Submergence and drought stresses are the main constraints to crop production worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to play a major role in plant response to various stresses. In this study, we analyzed the expression of maize and teosinte miRNAs by high-throughput sequencing of small RNA libraries in maize and its ancestor teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis), under submergence, drought, and alternated stress. We found that the expression patterns of 67 miRNA sequences representing 23 miRNA families in maize and other plants were regulated by submergence or drought. miR159a, miR166b, miR167c, and miR169c were downregulated by submergence in both plants but more severely in maize. miR156k and miR164e were upregulated by drought in teosinte but downregulated in maize. Small RNA profiling of teosinte subject to alternate treatments with drought and submergence revealed that submergence as the first stress attenuated the response to drought, while drought being the first stress did not alter the response to submergence. The miRNAs identified herein, and their potential targets, indicate that control of development, growth, and response to oxidative stress could be crucial for adaptation and that there exists evolutionary divergence between these two subspecies in miRNA response to abiotic stresses.
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Xu X, Chen X, Chen Y, Zhang Q, Su L, Chen X, Chen Y, Zhang Z, Lin Y, Lai Z. Genome-wide identification of miRNAs and their targets during early somatic embryogenesis in Dimocarpus longan Lour. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4626. [PMID: 32170163 PMCID: PMC7069941 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60946-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
miRNAs are endogenous regulatory factors that play pivotal roles in post-transcriptional regulation. However, their specific roles in early somatic embryogenesis (SE) remain unclear. Study of the SE system is fundamental for clarifying the molecular mechanisms in Dimocarpus longan. We identified 289 known miRNAs from 106 different miRNA families and 1087 novel miRNAs during early longan SE, including embryogenic callus (EC), incomplete pro-embryogenic culture (ICpEC), globular embryo (GE), and non-embryogenic callus (NEC). The abundances of known miRNAs were concentrated in GE. The differentially expression (DE) miRNAs showed five expression patterns during early SE. Largely miRNAs were expressed highly and specially in EC, ICpEC, and GE, respectively. Some miRNAs and putative target genes were enriched in lignin metabolism. Most potential targets were related to the pathways of plant hormone signal transduction, alternative splicing, tyrosine metabolism and sulfur metabolism in early longan SE. The regulatory relationships between dlo-miR166a-3p and DlHD-zip8, dlo-miR397a and DlLAC7, dlo-miR408-3p and DlLAC12 were confirmed by RNA ligase-mediated rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The expression patterns of eight DE miRNAs detected by qRT-PCR were consistent with RNA-seq. Finally, the miRNA regulatory network in early SE was constructed, which provided new insight into molecular mechanism of early SE in longan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Xu
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Xiaohui Chen
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Qinglin Zhang
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Liyao Su
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Xu Chen
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Yukun Chen
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Zihao Zhang
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Yuling Lin
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
| | - Zhongxiong Lai
- Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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20
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Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Profile Analysis of the NF-Y Transcription Factor Gene Family in Petunia hybrida. PLANTS 2020; 9:plants9030336. [PMID: 32155874 PMCID: PMC7154908 DOI: 10.3390/plants9030336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Nuclear Factor Ys (NF-Ys) are a class of heterotrimeric transcription factors that play key roles in many biological processes, such as abiotic stress responses, flowering time, and root development. The petunia (Petunia hybrida) is a model ornamental plant, and its draft genome has been published. However, no details regarding the NF-Y gene family in petunias are available. Here, 27 NF-Y members from the petunia genome were identified, including 10 PhNF-YAs, 13 PhNF-YBs, and 4 PhNF-YCs. Multiple alignments showed that all PhNF-Y proteins had clear conserved core regions flanked by non-conserved sequences. Phylogenetic analyses identified five pairs of orthologues NF-YB proteins from Petunia and Arabidopsis, and six pairs of paralogues NF-Y proteins in Petunia. Analysis of the gene structure and conserved motifs further confirmed the closer relationship in each subfamily. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that 16 PhNF-Ys could be targeted by 18 miRNA families. RNA-seq results showed that expression patterns of PhNF-Ys among four major organs (leaf, stem, flower, and root) were clustered into six major groups. The stress response pattern of PhNF-Ys was identified under cold, heat, drought, and salinity treatments. Based on the RNA-seq data, we found that 3 genes responded to drought, 4 genes responded to salt, 10 genes responded to cold, and 9 genes responded to hot. In conclusion, this study provides useful information for further studying the functions of NF-Ys in stress response.
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Yang Z, Chi X, Guo F, Jin X, Luo H, Hawar A, Chen Y, Feng K, Wang B, Qi J, Yang Y, Sun B. SbWRKY30 enhances the drought tolerance of plants and regulates a drought stress-responsive gene, SbRD19, in sorghum. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 246-247:153142. [PMID: 33383401 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2020.153142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
WRKY transcription factors have been suggested to play important roles in response and adaptation to drought stress. However, how sorghum WRKY transcription factors function in drought stress is still unclear. Here, we identify a WRKY transcription factor of sorghum, SbWRKY30, which is induced significantly by drought stress. SbWRKY30 is mainly expressed in sorghum taproot and leaf. SbWRKY30 has transcriptional activation activity and functions in the nucleus. Heterologous expression of SbWRKY30 confers tolerance to drought stress in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice by affecting root architecture. In addition, SbWRKY30 transgenic Arabidopsis and rice plants have higher proline contents and SOD, POD, and CAT activities but lower MDA contents than wild-type plants after drought stress. As a homologous gene of the drought stress-responsive gene RD19 of Arabidopsis, SbRD19 overexpression in Arabidopsis improved the drought tolerance of plants relative to wild-type plants. Further analysis demonstrated that SbWRKY30 could induce SbRD19 expression through binding to the W-box element in the promoter of SbRD19. These results suggest that SbWRKY30 functions as a positive regulator in response to drought stress. Therefore, SbWRKY30 may serve as a promising candidate gene for molecular breeding to generate drought-tolerant crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Xiaoyu Chi
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Fengfei Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Xueying Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Huilian Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Amangul Hawar
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Yaxin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Kangkang Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Bin Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Jinliang Qi
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Yonghua Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Bo Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Seeve CM, Sunkar R, Zheng Y, Liu L, Liu Z, McMullen M, Nelson S, Sharp RE, Oliver MJ. Water-deficit responsive microRNAs in the primary root growth zone of maize. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 19:447. [PMID: 31651253 PMCID: PMC6814125 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-2037-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND MicroRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks play a significant role in plant growth and development and environmental stress responses. RESULTS We identified 79 microRNAs (miRNAs) and multiple miRNA variants (isomiRs) belonging to 26 miRNA families in the primary root growth zone of maize seedlings grown at one of three water potentials: well-watered (- 0.02 MPa), mild water deficit stress (- 0.3 MPa), and severe water deficit stress (- 1.6 MPa). The abundances of 3 miRNAs (mild stress) and 34 miRNAs representing 17 families (severe stress) were significantly different in water-deficit stressed relative to well-watered controls (FDR < 0.05 and validated by stem loop RT-qPCR). Degradome sequencing revealed 213 miRNA-regulated transcripts and trancriptome profiling revealed that the abundance of 77 (miRNA-regulated) were regulated by water-defecit stress. miR399e,i,j-3p was strongly regulated by water-defcit stress implicating the possibility of nutrient deficiency during stress. CONCLUSIONS We have identified a number of maize miRNAs that respond to specific water deficits applied to the primary root growth zone. We have also identified transcripts that are targets for miRNA regulation in the root growth zone under water-deficit stress. The miR399e,i,j-3p that is known to regulate phosphate uptake in response to nutrient deficiencies responds to water-deficit stress, however, at the seedling stage the seed provides adequate nutrients for root growth thus miR399e,i,j-3p may play a separate role in water-deficit responses. A water-deficit regulated maize transcript, similar to known miR399 target mimics, was identified and we hypothesized that it is another regulatory player, moderating the role of miR399e,i,j-3p, in primary root growth zone water deficit responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candace M. Seeve
- USDA-ARS, Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Ramanjulu Sunkar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078 USA
| | - Yun Zheng
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500 Yunnan China
| | - Li Liu
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500 Yunnan China
| | - Zhijie Liu
- Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070 Hubei Province China
| | - Michael McMullen
- Division of Plant Sciences, Columbia, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Sven Nelson
- USDA-ARS, Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Robert E. Sharp
- Division of Plant Sciences, Columbia, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Melvin J. Oliver
- USDA-ARS, Plant Genetics Research Unit, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
- Interdisciplinary Plant Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
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Summanwar A, Basu U, Rahman H, Kav N. Identification of lncRNAs Responsive to Infection by Plasmodiophora brassicae in Clubroot-Susceptible and -Resistant Brassica napus Lines Carrying Resistance Introgressed from Rutabaga. MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS : MPMI 2019; 32:1360-1377. [PMID: 31090490 DOI: 10.1094/mpmi-12-18-0341-r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Clubroot disease, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae Woronin, is a major threat to the production of Brassica' crops. Resistance to different P. brassicae pathotypes has been reported in the A genome, chromosome A08; however, the molecular mechanism of this resistance, especially the involvement of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), is not understood. We have used a strand-specific lncRNA-Seq approach to catalog lncRNAs from the roots of clubroot-susceptible and -resistant Brassica napus lines. In total, 530 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs were identified, including 88% of long intergenic RNAs and 11% natural antisense transcripts. Sixteen lncRNAs were identified as target mimics of the microRNAs (miRNAs) and eight were identified as the precursors of miRNAs. KEGG pathway analysis of the DE lncRNAs showed that the cis-regulated target genes mostly belong to the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway (15%) and plant-pathogen interactions (15%) while the transregulated target genes mostly belong to carbon (18%) and amino acid biosynthesis pathway (19%). In all, 24 DE lncRNAs were identified from chromosome A08, which is known to harbor a quantitative trait locus conferring resistance to different P. brassicae pathotypes; however, eight of these lncRNAs showed expression only in the resistant plants. These results could form the basis for future studies aimed at delineating the roles of lncRNAs in plant-microbe interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aarohi Summanwar
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, 4-10 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Urmila Basu
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, 4-10 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Habibur Rahman
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, 4-10 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
| | - Nat Kav
- Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, 4-10 Agriculture/Forestry Centre, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2P5, Canada
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Liu X, Zhang X, Sun B, Hao L, Liu C, Zhang D, Tang H, Li C, Li Y, Shi Y, Xie X, Song Y, Wang T, Li Y. Genome-wide identification and comparative analysis of drought-related microRNAs in two maize inbred lines with contrasting drought tolerance by deep sequencing. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0219176. [PMID: 31276526 PMCID: PMC6611575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Drought has become one of the most serious abiotic stresses influencing crop production worldwide. Understanding the molecular regulatory networks underlying drought adaption and tolerance in crops is of great importance for future breeding. microRNAs (miRNAs), as important components of post-transcriptional regulation, play crucial roles in drought response and adaptation in plants. Here, we report a miRNome analysis of two maize inbred lines with contrasting levels of drought tolerance under soil drought in the field. Differential expression analysis showed 11 and 34 miRNAs were uniquely responded to drought in H082183 (drought tolerant) and Lv28 (drought sensitive), respectively, in leaves. In roots, 19 and 23 miRNAs uniquely responded to drought in H082183 and Lv28, respectively. Expression analysis of these drought-responsive miRNA-mRNA modules revealed miR164-MYB, miR164-NAC, miR159-MYB, miR156-SPL and miR160-ARF showed a negative regulatory relationship. Further analysis showed that the miR164-MYB and miR164-NAC modules in the tolerant line modulated the stress response in an ABA (abscisic acid)-dependent manner, while the miR156-SPL and miR160-ARF modules in the sensitive line participated in the inhibition of metabolism in drought-exposed leaves. Together, our results provide new insight into not only drought-tolerance-related miRNA regulation networks in maize but also key miRNAs for further characterization and improvement of maize drought tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuyang Liu
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojing Zhang
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Baocheng Sun
- Institute of Grain Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Luyang Hao
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Institute of Grain Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Dengfeng Zhang
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huaijun Tang
- Institute of Grain Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Chunhui Li
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yongxiang Li
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yunsu Shi
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoqing Xie
- Institute of Grain Crops, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Urumqi, China
| | - Yanchun Song
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tianyu Wang
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Li
- Institute of Crop Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
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25
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Jatan R, Chauhan PS, Lata C. Pseudomonas putida modulates the expression of miRNAs and their target genes in response to drought and salt stresses in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Genomics 2019; 111:509-519. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2018.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2017] [Revised: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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26
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Perspectives on microRNAs and Phased Small Interfering RNAs in Maize ( Zea mays L.): Functions and Big Impact on Agronomic Traits Enhancement. PLANTS 2019; 8:plants8060170. [PMID: 31212808 PMCID: PMC6630462 DOI: 10.3390/plants8060170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2019] [Revised: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Small RNA (sRNA) population in plants comprises of primarily micro RNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). MiRNAs play important roles in plant growth and development. The miRNA-derived secondary siRNAs are usually known as phased siRNAs, including phasiRNAs and tasiRNAs. The miRNA and phased siRNA biogenesis mechanisms are highly conserved in plants. However, their functional conservation and diversification may differ in maize. In the past two decades, lots of miRNAs and phased siRNAs have been functionally identified for curbing important maize agronomic traits, such as those related to developmental timing, plant architecture, sex determination, reproductive development, leaf morphogenesis, root development and nutrition, kernel development and tolerance to abiotic stresses. In contrast to Arabidopsis and rice, studies on maize miRNA and phased siRNA biogenesis and functions are limited, which restricts the small RNA-based fundamental and applied studies in maize. This review updates the current status of maize miRNA and phased siRNA mechanisms and provides a survey of our knowledge on miRNA and phased siRNA functions in controlling agronomic traits. Furthermore, improvement of those traits through manipulating the expression of sRNAs or their targets is discussed.
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27
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Hou Y, Jiang F, Zheng X, Wu Z. Identification and analysis of oxygen responsive microRNAs in the root of wild tomato (S. habrochaites). BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2019; 19:100. [PMID: 30866807 PMCID: PMC6416974 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-019-1698-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND MicroRNA (miRNA) are key players in regulating expression of target genes at post-transcriptional level. A number of miRNAs are implicated in modulating tolerance to various abiotic stresses. Waterlogging is an abiotic stress that deters plant growth and productivity by hypoxia. Dozens of reports mention about the miRNAs expressed in response to waterlogging and hypoxia. Despite the fact that tomato is a model vegetable but waterlogging sensitive crop, the role of miRNAs in hypoxia tolerance is poorly understood in tomato. RESULTS In this study, we investigated the differentially expressed miRNAs between hypoxia-treated and untreated wild tomato root by using high-throughput sequencing technology. A total of 33 known miRNAs were lowly expressed, whereas only 3 miRNAs showed higher expression in hypoxia-treated wild tomato root compared with untreated wild tomato root. Then two conserved and lowly expressed miRNAs, miR171 and miR390, were deactivated by Short Tandem Target Mimic (STTM) technology in Arabidopsis. As the results, the number and length of lateral roots were more in STTM171 and STTM390 transgenic lines compared with that of wild type plant, which partly phenocopy the increase root number and shortening the root length in hypoxia-treated wild tomato root. CONCLUSIONS The differentially expressed miRNAs between hypoxia-treated wild tomato and control root, which contribute to the auxin homeostasis, morphologic change, and stress response, might result in reduction in the biomass and length of the root in hypoxiated conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yabing Hou
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Fangling Jiang
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
| | - Xiaolan Zheng
- College of Horticulture, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002 China
| | - Zhen Wu
- College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095 China
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28
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Franke KR, Schmidt SA, Park S, Jeong DH, Accerbi M, Green PJ. Analysis of Brachypodium miRNA targets: evidence for diverse control during stress and conservation in bioenergy crops. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:547. [PMID: 30029591 PMCID: PMC6053804 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4911-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Since the proposal of Brachypodium distachyon as a model for the grasses, over 500 Bdi-miRNAs have been annotated in miRBase making Brachypodium second in number only to rice. Other monocots, such as switchgrass, are completely absent from the miRBase database. While a significant number of miRNAs have been identified which are highly conserved across plants, little research has been done with respect to the conservation of miRNA targets. Plant responses to abiotic stresses are regulated by diverse pathways many of which involve miRNAs; however, it can be difficult to identify miRNA guided gene regulation when the miRNA is not the primary regulator of the target mRNA. RESULTS To investigate miRNA target conservation and stress response involvement, a set of PARE (Parallel Analysis of RNA Ends) libraries totaling over two billion reads was constructed and sequenced from Brachypodium, switchgrass, and sorghum representing the first report of RNA degradome data from the latter two species. Analysis of this data provided not only PARE evidence for miRNA guided cleavage of over 7000 predicted target mRNAs in Brachypodium, but also evidence for miRNA guided cleavage of over 1000 homologous transcripts in sorghum and switchgrass. A pipeline was constructed to compare RNA-seq and PARE data made from Brachypodium plants exposed to various abiotic stress conditions. This resulted in the identification of 44 miRNA targets which exhibit stress regulated cleavage. Time course experiments were performed to reveal the relationship between miR393ab, miR169a, miR394ab, and their respective targets throughout the first 36 h of the cold stress response in Brachypodium. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge gained from this study provides considerable insight into the RNA degradomes and the breadth of miRNA target conservation among these three species. Additionally, associations of a number of miRNAs and target mRNAs with the stress responses have been revealed which could aid in the development of stress tolerant transgenic crops.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl R. Franke
- Department of Biology and Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, 15 Innovation Way, Newark, DE 19711 USA
| | - Skye A. Schmidt
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, 15 Innovation Way, Newark, DE 19711 USA
| | - Sunhee Park
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, 15 Innovation Way, Newark, DE 19711 USA
| | - Dong-Hoon Jeong
- Department of Life Science, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Monica Accerbi
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, 15 Innovation Way, Newark, DE 19711 USA
| | - Pamela J. Green
- Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, 15 Innovation Way, Newark, DE 19711 USA
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29
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Srivastava R, Li Z, Russo G, Tang J, Bi R, Muppirala U, Chudalayandi S, Severin A, He M, Vaitkevicius SI, Lawrence-Dill CJ, Liu P, Stapleton AE, Bassham DC, Brandizzi F, Howell SH. Response to Persistent ER Stress in Plants: A Multiphasic Process That Transitions Cells from Prosurvival Activities to Cell Death. THE PLANT CELL 2018; 30:1220-1242. [PMID: 29802214 PMCID: PMC6048783 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.18.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a highly conserved response that protects plants from adverse environmental conditions. The UPR is elicited by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, in which unfolded and misfolded proteins accumulate within the ER. Here, we induced the UPR in maize (Zea mays) seedlings to characterize the molecular events that occur over time during persistent ER stress. We found that a multiphasic program of gene expression was interwoven among other cellular events, including the induction of autophagy. One of the earliest phases involved the degradation by regulated IRE1-dependent RNA degradation (RIDD) of RNA transcripts derived from a family of peroxidase genes. RIDD resulted from the activation of the promiscuous ribonuclease activity of ZmIRE1 that attacks the mRNAs of secreted proteins. This was followed by an upsurge in expression of the canonical UPR genes indirectly driven by ZmIRE1 due to its splicing of Zmbzip60 mRNA to make an active transcription factor that directly upregulates many of the UPR genes. At the peak of UPR gene expression, a global wave of RNA processing led to the production of many aberrant UPR gene transcripts, likely tempering the ER stress response. During later stages of ER stress, ZmIRE1's activity declined, as did the expression of survival modulating genes, Bax inhibitor1 and Bcl-2-associated athanogene7, amid a rising tide of cell death. Thus, in response to persistent ER stress, maize seedlings embark on a course of gene expression and cellular events progressing from adaptive responses to cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renu Srivastava
- Plant Sciences Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Zhaoxia Li
- Plant Sciences Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Giulia Russo
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratories, Department of Plant Biology, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Jie Tang
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Ran Bi
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Usha Muppirala
- Genome Informatics Facility, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | | | - Andrew Severin
- Genome Informatics Facility, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Mingze He
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Samuel I Vaitkevicius
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratories, Department of Plant Biology, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Carolyn J Lawrence-Dill
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Peng Liu
- Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Ann E Stapleton
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403
| | - Diane C Bassham
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
| | - Federica Brandizzi
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratories, Department of Plant Biology, East Lansing, Michigan 48824
| | - Stephen H Howell
- Plant Sciences Institute, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
- Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011
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30
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Wang B, Li Z, Ran Q, Li P, Peng Z, Zhang J. ZmNF-YB16 Overexpression Improves Drought Resistance and Yield by Enhancing Photosynthesis and the Antioxidant Capacity of Maize Plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:709. [PMID: 29896208 PMCID: PMC5986874 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
ZmNF-YB16 is a basic NF-YB superfamily member and a member of a transcription factor complex composed of NF-YA, NF-YB, and NF-YC in maize. ZmNF-YB16 was transformed into the inbred maize line B104 to produce homozygous overexpression lines. ZmNF-YB16 overexpression improves dehydration and drought stress resistance in maize plants during vegetative and reproductive stages by maintaining higher photosynthesis and increases the maize grain yield under normal and drought stress conditions. Based on the examination of differentially expressed genes between the wild-type (WT) and transgenic lines by quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR), ZmNF-YB16 overexpression increased the expression of genes encoding antioxidant enzymes, the antioxidant synthase, and molecular chaperones associated with the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response, and improved protection mechanism for photosynthesis system II. Plants that overexpression ZmNF-YB16 showed a higher rate of photosynthesis and antioxidant enzyme activity, better membrane stability and lower electrolyte leakage under control and drought stress conditions. These results suggested that ZmNF-YB16 played an important role in drought resistance in maize by regulating the expression of a number of genes involved in photosynthesis, the cellular antioxidant capacity and the ER stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Juren Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan, China
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31
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Exploration of ABA Responsive miRNAs Reveals a New Hormone Signaling Crosstalk Pathway Regulating Root Growth of Populus euphratica. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19051481. [PMID: 29772702 PMCID: PMC5983633 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19051481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Revised: 04/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Abscisic acid (ABA) plays an important role in the regulation of plant adaptation, seed germination, and root development in plants. However, the mechanism of ABA regulation of root development is still poorly understood, especially through the miRNA-mediated pathway. Here, small RNA (sRNA)-seq and degradome-seq were used to analyze the miRNAs’ responsive to ABA in the stems and roots of P. euphratica, a model tree species for abiotic stress-resistance research. In total, 255 unique mature sequences, containing 154 known miRNAs and 101 novel miRNAs were identified, among which 33 miRNAs and 54 miRNAs were responsive to ABA in the roots and stems, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of these miRNAs and their targets revealed a new hormone signaling crosstalk model of ABA regulation of root growth through miRNA-mediated pathways, such as peu-miR-n68 mediation of the crosstalk between ABA and the brassinosteroid (BR) signaling pathway and peu-miR477b mediation of the crosstalk between ABA and Gibberellic acid (GA) signaling. Taken together, our genome-wide analysis of the miRNAs provides a new insight into the mechanism of ABA regulation of root growth in Populus.
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32
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Martinelli F, Cannarozzi G, Balan B, Siegrist F, Weichert A, Blösch R, Tadele Z. Identification of miRNAs linked with the drought response of tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter]. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 224-225:163-172. [PMID: 29656008 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2018.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Tef [Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter], a staple food crop in the Horn of Africa and particularly in Ethiopia, has several beneficial agronomical and nutritional properties, including waterlogging and drought tolerance. In this study, we performed microRNA profiling of tef using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 platform, analyzing both shoots and roots of two tef genotypes, one drought-tolerant (Tsedey) and one drought-susceptible (Alba). We obtained more than 10 million filtered reads for each of the 24 sequenced small cDNA libraries. Reads mapping to known miRNAs were more abundant in the root than shoot tissues. Thirteen and 35 miRNAs were significantly modulated in response to drought, in Alba and Tsedey roots, respectively. One miRNA was upregulated under drought conditions in both genotypes. In shoots, nine miRNAs were modulated in common between the two genotypes and all showed similar trends of expression. One-hundred and forty-seven new miRNA mature sequences were identified in silico, 22 of these were detected in all relevant samples and seven were differentially regulated when comparing drought with normal watering. Putative targets of the miRNA regulated under drought in root and shoot tissues were predicted. Among the targets were transcription factors such as CCAAT-HAP2, MADS and NAC. Verification with qRT-PCR revealed that five of six potential targets showed a pattern of expression that was consistent with the correspondent miRNA amount measured by RNA-Seq. In general, candidate miRNAs involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of the tef response to drought could be included in next-generation breeding programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Martinelli
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie Alimentari Forestali, Università di Palermo, viale delle scienze Ed. 4., Palermo, Italy.
| | - Gina Cannarozzi
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Altenbergrain 21, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Bipin Balan
- Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie Alimentari Forestali, Università di Palermo, viale delle scienze Ed. 4., Palermo, Italy.
| | - Fredy Siegrist
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Altenbergrain 21, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Annett Weichert
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Altenbergrain 21, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Regula Blösch
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Altenbergrain 21, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Zerihun Tadele
- Institute of Plant Sciences, Altenbergrain 21, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Biotechnology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Xing L, Zhu M, Zhang M, Li W, Jiang H, Zou J, Wang L, Xu M. High-Throughput Sequencing of Small RNA Transcriptomes in Maize Kernel Identifies miRNAs Involved in Embryo and Endosperm Development. Genes (Basel) 2017; 8:genes8120385. [PMID: 29240690 PMCID: PMC5748703 DOI: 10.3390/genes8120385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2017] [Revised: 12/07/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Maize kernel development is a complex biological process that involves the temporal and spatial expression of many genes and fine gene regulation at a transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, and microRNAs (miRNAs) play vital roles during this process. To gain insight into miRNA-mediated regulation of maize kernel development, a deep-sequencing technique was used to investigate the dynamic expression of miRNAs in the embryo and endosperm at three developmental stages in B73. By miRNA transcriptomic analysis, we characterized 132 known miRNAs and six novel miRNAs in developing maize kernel, among which, 15 and 14 miRNAs were commonly differentially expressed between the embryo and endosperm at 9 days after pollination (DAP), 15 DAP and 20 DAP respectively. Conserved miRNA families such as miR159, miR160, miR166, miR390, miR319, miR528 and miR529 were highly expressed in developing embryos; miR164, miR171, miR393 and miR2118 were highly expressed in developing endosperm. Genes targeted by those highly expressed miRNAs were found to be largely related to a regulation category, including the transcription, macromolecule biosynthetic and metabolic process in the embryo as well as the vitamin biosynthetic and metabolic process in the endosperm. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that these miRNAs displayed a negative correlation with the levels of their corresponding target genes. Importantly, our findings revealed that members of the miR169 family were highly and dynamically expressed in the developing kernel, which will help to exploit new players functioning in maize kernel development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijuan Xing
- Biotechnology Research Institute, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Ming Zhu
- Biotechnology Research Institute, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
| | - Min Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Wenzong Li
- Biotechnology Research Institute, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Haiyang Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China.
| | - Junjie Zou
- Biotechnology Research Institute, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Lei Wang
- Biotechnology Research Institute, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Miaoyun Xu
- Biotechnology Research Institute, The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
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Szyrajew K, Bielewicz D, Dolata J, Wójcik AM, Nowak K, Szczygieł-Sommer A, Szweykowska-Kulinska Z, Jarmolowski A, Gaj MD. MicroRNAs Are Intensively Regulated during Induction of Somatic Embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:18. [PMID: 28167951 PMCID: PMC5253390 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Several genes encoding transcription factors (TFs) were indicated to have a key role in the induction of somatic embryogenesis (SE), which is triggered in the somatic cells of plants. In order to further explore the genetic regulatory network that is involved in the embryogenic transition induced in plant somatic cells, micro-RNA (miRNAs) molecules, the products of MIRNA (MIR) genes and the common regulators of TF transcripts, were analyzed in an embryogenic culture of Arabidopsis thaliana. In total, the expression of 190 genes of the 114 MIRNA families was monitored during SE induction and the levels of the primary (pri-miRNAs) transcripts vs. the mature miRNAs were investigated. The results revealed that the majority (98%) of the MIR genes were active and that most of them (64%) were differentially expressed during SE. A distinct attribute of the MIR expression in SE was the strong repression of MIR transcripts at the early stage of SE followed by their significant up-regulation in the advanced stage of SE. Comparison of the mature miRNAs vs. pri-miRNAs suggested that the extensive post-transcriptional regulation of miRNA is associated with SE induction. Candidate miRNA molecules of the assumed function in the embryogenic response were identified among the mature miRNAs that had a differential expression in SE, including miR156, miR157, miR159, miR160, miR164, miR166, miR169, miR319, miR390, miR393, miR396, and miR398. Consistent with the central role of phytohormones and stress factors in SE induction, the functions of the candidate miRNAs were annotated to phytohormone and stress responses. To confirm the functions of the candidate miRNAs in SE, the expression patterns of the mature miRNAs and their presumed targets were compared and regulatory relation during SE was indicated for most of the analyzed miRNA-target pairs. The results of the study contribute to the refinement of the miRNA-controlled regulatory pathways that operate during embryogenic induction in plants and provide a valuable platform for the identification of the genes that are targeted by the candidate miRNAs in SE induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Szyrajew
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of SilesiaKatowice, Poland
| | - Dawid Bielewicz
- Department of Gene Expression, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznan, Poland
| | - Jakub Dolata
- Department of Gene Expression, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznan, Poland
| | - Anna M. Wójcik
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of SilesiaKatowice, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Nowak
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of SilesiaKatowice, Poland
| | - Aleksandra Szczygieł-Sommer
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of SilesiaKatowice, Poland
| | - Zofia Szweykowska-Kulinska
- Department of Gene Expression, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznan, Poland
| | - Artur Jarmolowski
- Department of Gene Expression, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Adam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznan, Poland
| | - Małgorzata D. Gaj
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of SilesiaKatowice, Poland
- *Correspondence: Małgorzata D. Gaj
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Li Y, Zhao SL, Li JL, Hu XH, Wang H, Cao XL, Xu YJ, Zhao ZX, Xiao ZY, Yang N, Fan J, Huang F, Wang WM. Osa-miR169 Negatively Regulates Rice Immunity against the Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2017; 8:2. [PMID: 28144248 PMCID: PMC5239796 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
miR169 is a conserved microRNA (miRNA) family involved in plant development and stress-induced responses. However, how miR169 functions in rice immunity remains unclear. Here, we show that miR169 acts as a negative regulator in rice immunity against the blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae by repressing the expression of nuclear factor Y-A (NF-YA) genes. The accumulation of miR169 was significantly increased in a susceptible accession but slightly fluctuated in a resistant accession upon M. oryzae infection. Consistently, the transgenic lines overexpressing miR169a became hyper-susceptible to different M. oryzae strains associated with reduced expression of defense-related genes and lack of hydrogen peroxide accumulation at the infection site. Consequently, the expression of its target genes, the NF-YA family members, was down-regulated by the overexpression of miR169a at either transcriptional or translational level. On the contrary, overexpression of a target mimicry that acts as a sponge to trap miR169a led to enhanced resistance to M. oryzae. In addition, three of miR169's target genes were also differentially up-regulated in the resistant accession upon M. oryzae infection. Taken together, our data indicate that miR169 negatively regulates rice immunity against M. oryzae by differentially repressing its target genes and provide the potential to engineer rice blast resistance via a miRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Hybrid Rice in Yangtze River Basin, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Sheng-Li Zhao
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Jin-Lu Li
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Hu
- College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - He Wang
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Xiao-Long Cao
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Yong-Ju Xu
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Zhi-Xue Zhao
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Zhi-Yuan Xiao
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Nan Yang
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Jing Fan
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Hybrid Rice in Yangtze River Basin, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Fu Huang
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
- College of Agronomy, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
| | - Wen-Ming Wang
- Rice Research Institute and Key Lab for Major Crop Diseases, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Hybrid Rice in Yangtze River Basin, Sichuan Agricultural University at WenjiangChengdu, China
- *Correspondence: Wen-Ming Wang,
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Ahmad N, Malagoli M, Wirtz M, Hell R. Drought stress in maize causes differential acclimation responses of glutathione and sulfur metabolism in leaves and roots. BMC PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 16:247. [PMID: 27829370 PMCID: PMC5103438 DOI: 10.1186/s12870-016-0940-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drought is the most important environmental stress that limits crop yield in a global warming world. Despite the compelling evidence of an important role of oxidized and reduced sulfur-containing compounds during the response of plants to drought stress (e.g. sulfate for stomata closure or glutathione for scavenging of reactive oxygen species), the assimilatory sulfate reduction pathway is almost not investigated at the molecular or at the whole plant level during drought. RESULTS In the present study, we elucidated the role of assimilatory sulfate reduction in roots and leaves of the staple crop maize after application of drought stress. The time-resolved dynamics of the adaption processes to the stress was analyzed in a physiological relevant situation -when prolonged drought caused significant oxidation stress but root growth should be maintained. The allocation of sulfate was significantly shifted to the roots upon drought and allowed for significant increase of thiols derived from sulfate assimilation in roots. This enabled roots to produce biomass, while leaf growth was stopped. Accumulation of harmful reactive oxygen species caused oxidation of the glutathione pool and decreased glutathione levels in leaves. Surprisingly, flux analysis using [35S]-sulfate demonstrated a significant down-regulation of sulfate assimilation and cysteine synthesis in leaves due to the substantial decrease of serine acetyltransferase activity. The insufficient cysteine supply caused depletion of glutathione pool in spite of significant transcriptional induction of glutathione synthesis limiting GSH1. Furthermore, drought impinges on transcription of membrane-localized sulfate transport systems in leaves and roots, which provides a potential molecular mechanism for the reallocation of sulfur upon prolonged water withdrawal. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrated a significant and organ-specific impact of drought upon sulfate assimilation. The sulfur metabolism related alterations at the transcriptional, metabolic and enzyme activity level are consistent with a promotion of root growth to search for water at the expense of leaf growth. The results provide evidence for the importance of antagonistic regulation of sulfur metabolism in leaves and roots to enable successful drought stress response at the whole plant level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisar Ahmad
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
- University of Science & Technology Bannu, Bannu, Pakistan
| | - Mario Malagoli
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Markus Wirtz
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ruediger Hell
- Centre for Organismal Studies Heidelberg, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 360, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Liu H, Able AJ, Able JA. SMARTER De-Stressed Cereal Breeding. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 21:909-925. [PMID: 27514453 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2016.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 06/30/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
In cereal breeding programs, improved yield potential and stability are ultimate goals when developing new varieties. To facilitate achieving these goals, reproductive success under stressful growing conditions is of the highest priority. In recent times, small RNA (sRNA)-mediated pathways have been associated with the regulation of genes involved in stress adaptation and reproduction in both model plants and several cereals. Reproductive and physiological traits such as flowering time, reproductive branching, and root architecture can be manipulated by sRNA regulatory modules. We review sRNA-mediated pathways that could be exploited to expand crop diversity with adaptive traits and, in particular, the development of high-yielding stress-tolerant cereals: SMARTER cereal breeding through 'Small RNA-Mediated Adaptation of Reproductive Targets in Epigenetic Regulation'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haipei Liu
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Research Institute, PMB 1, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Amanda J Able
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Research Institute, PMB 1, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia
| | - Jason A Able
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, University of Adelaide, Waite Research Institute, PMB 1, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064, Australia.
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Isolation, structural analysis, and expression characteristics of the maize nuclear factor Y gene families. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2016; 478:752-8. [PMID: 27498027 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
NUCLEAR FACTOR-Y (NF-Y) has been shown to play an important role in growth, development, and response to environmental stress. A NF-Y complex, which consists of three subunits, NF-YA, NF-YB, and, NF-YC, binds to CCAAT sequences in a promoter to control the expression of target genes. Although NF-Y proteins have been reported in Arabidopsis and rice, a comprehensive and systematic analysis of ZmNF-Y genes has not yet been performed. To examine the functions of ZmNF-Y genes in this family, we isolated and characterized 50 ZmNF-Y (14 ZmNF-YA, 18 ZmNF-YB, and 18 ZmNF-YC) genes in an analysis of the maize genome. The 50 ZmNF-Y genes were distributed on all 10 maize chromosomes, and 12 paralogs were identified. Multiple alignments showed that maize ZmNF-Y family proteins had conserved regions and relatively variable N-terminal or C-terminal domains. The comparative syntenic map illustrated 40 paralogous NF-Y gene pairs among the 10 maize chromosomes. Microarray data showed that the ZmNF-Y genes had tissue-specific expression patterns in various maize developmental stages and in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. The results suggested that ZmNF-YB2, 4, 8, 10, 13, and 16 and ZmNF-YC6, 8, and 15 were induced, while ZmNF-YA1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, and 13, ZmNF-YB15, and ZmNF-YC3 and 9 were suppressed by drought stress. ZmNF-YA3, ZmNF-YA8 and ZmNF-YA12 were upregulated after infection by the three pathogens, while ZmNF-YA1 and ZmNF-YB2 were suppressed. These results indicate that the ZmNF-Ys may have significant roles in the response to abiotic and biotic stresses.
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Duan H, Lu X, Lian C, An Y, Xia X, Yin W. Genome-Wide Analysis of MicroRNA Responses to the Phytohormone Abscisic Acid in Populus euphratica. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:1184. [PMID: 27582743 PMCID: PMC4988358 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2015] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNA (miRNA) is a type of non-coding small RNA with a regulatory function at the posttranscriptional level in plant growth development and in response to abiotic stress. Previous studies have not reported on miRNAs responses to the phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) at a genome-wide level in Populus euphratica, a model tree for studying abiotic stress responses in woody plants. Here we analyzed the miRNA response to ABA at a genome-wide level in P. euphratica utilizing high-throughput sequencing. To systematically perform a genome-wide analysis of ABA-responsive miRNAs in P. euphratica, nine sRNA libraries derived from three groups (control, treated with ABA for 1 day and treated with ABA for 4 days) were constructed. Each group included three libraries from three individual plantlets as biological replicate. In total, 151 unique mature sequences belonging to 75 conserved miRNA families were identified, and 94 unique sequences were determined to be novel miRNAs, including 56 miRNAs with miRNA(*) sequences. In all, 31 conserved miRNAs and 31 novel miRNAs response to ABA significantly differed among the groups. In addition, 4132 target genes were predicted for the conserved and novel miRNAs. Confirmed by real-time qPCR, expression changes of miRNAs were inversely correlated with the expression profiles of their putative targets. The Populus special or novel miRNA-target interactions were predicted might be involved in some biological process related stress tolerance. Our analysis provides a comprehensive view of how P. euphratica miRNA respond to ABA, and moreover, different temporal dynamics were observed in different ABA-treated libraries.
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Lee DK, Kim HI, Jang G, Chung PJ, Jeong JS, Kim YS, Bang SW, Jung H, Choi YD, Kim JK. The NF-YA transcription factor OsNF-YA7 confers drought stress tolerance of rice in an abscisic acid independent manner. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2015; 241:199-210. [PMID: 26706071 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2015.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Revised: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The mechanisms of plant response and adaptation to drought stress require the regulation of transcriptional networks via the induction of drought-responsive transcription factors. Nuclear Factor Y (NF-Y) transcription factors have aroused interest in roles of plant drought stress responses. However, the molecular mechanism of the NF-Y-induced drought tolerance is not well understood. Here, we functionally analyzed two rice NF-YA genes, OsNF-YA7 and OsNF-YA4. Expression of OsNF-YA7 was induced by drought stress and its overexpression in transgenic rice plants improved their drought tolerance. In contrast, OsNF-YA4 expression was not increased by drought stress and its overexpression in transgenic rice plants did not affect their sensitivity to drought stress. OsNF-YA4 expression was highly induced by the stress-related hormone abscisic acid (ABA), while OsNF-YA7 was not, indicating that OsNF-YA7 mediates drought tolerance in an ABA-independent manner. Analysis of the OsNF-YA7 promoter revealed three ABA-independent DRE/CTR elements and RNA-seq analysis identified 48 genes downstream of OsNFYA7 action putatively involved in the OsNF-YA7-mediated drought tolerance pathway. Taken together, our results suggest an important role for OsNF-YA7 in rice drought stress tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Keun Lee
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
| | - Hyung Il Kim
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
| | - Geupil Jang
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, South Korea.
| | - Pil Joong Chung
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
| | - Jin Seo Jeong
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
| | - Youn Shic Kim
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
| | - Seung Woon Bang
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
| | - Harin Jung
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
| | - Yang Do Choi
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-921, South Korea.
| | - Ju-Kon Kim
- Crop Biotechnology Institute, Green Bio Science & Technology, Seoul National University, Gangwon-do 25354, South Korea.
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Root precursors of microRNAs in wild emmer and modern wheats show major differences in response to drought stress. Funct Integr Genomics 2015; 15:587-98. [PMID: 26174050 DOI: 10.1007/s10142-015-0453-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2015] [Revised: 06/26/2015] [Accepted: 07/01/2015] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs, small regulatory molecules with significant impacts on the transcriptional network of all living organisms, have been the focus of several studies conducted mostly on modern wheat cultivars. In this study, we investigated miRNA repertoires of modern durum wheat and its wild relatives, with differing degrees of drought tolerance, to identify miRNA candidates and their targets involved in drought stress response. Root transcriptomes of Triticum turgidum ssp. durum variety Kızıltan and two Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides genotypes TR39477 and TTD-22 under control and drought conditions were assembled from individual RNA-Seq reads and used for in silico identification of miRNAs. A total of 66 miRNAs were identified from all species, across all conditions, of which 46 and 38 of the miRNAs identified from modern durum wheat and wild genotypes, respectively, had not been previously reported. Genotype- and/or stress-specific miRNAs provide insights into our understanding of the complex drought response. Particularly, miR1435, miR5024, and miR7714, identified only from drought-stress roots of drought-tolerant genotype TR39477, can be candidates for future studies to explore and exploit the drought response to develop tolerant varieties.
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Molecular organization and comparative analysis of chromosome 5B of the wild wheat ancestor Triticum dicoccoides. Sci Rep 2015; 5:10763. [PMID: 26084265 PMCID: PMC4471722 DOI: 10.1038/srep10763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild emmer wheat, Triticum turgidum ssp. dicoccoides is the wild relative of Triticum turgidum, the progenitor of durum and bread wheat, and maintains a rich allelic diversity among its wild populations. The lack of adequate genetic and genomic resources, however, restricts its exploitation in wheat improvement. Here, we report next-generation sequencing of the flow-sorted chromosome 5B of T. dicoccoides to shed light into its genome structure, function and organization by exploring the repetitive elements, protein-encoding genes and putative microRNA and tRNA coding sequences. Comparative analyses with its counterparts in modern and wild wheats suggest clues into the B-genome evolution. Syntenic relationships of chromosome 5B with the model grasses can facilitate further efforts for fine-mapping of traits of interest. Mapping of 5B sequences onto the root transcriptomes of two additional T. dicoccoides genotypes, with contrasting drought tolerances, revealed several thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms, of which 584 shared polymorphisms on 228 transcripts were specific to the drought-tolerant genotype. To our knowledge, this study presents the largest genomics resource currently available for T. dicoccoides, which, we believe, will encourage the exploitation of its genetic and genomic potential for wheat improvement to meet the increasing demand to feed the world.
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Yang R, Zeng Y, Yi X, Zhao L, Zhang Y. Small RNA deep sequencing reveals the important role of microRNAs in the halophyte Halostachys caspica. PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL 2015; 13:395-408. [PMID: 25832169 DOI: 10.1111/pbi.12337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Revised: 12/15/2014] [Accepted: 12/16/2014] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), an extensive class of small regulatory RNAs, play versatile roles in plant growth and development as well as stress responses. However, the regulatory mechanism is unclear on miRNA-mediated response to abiotic stress in plants. Halostachys caspica is a halophytic plant species and a great model for investigating plant response to salinity stress. However, no research has been performed on miRNAs in H. caspica. In this study, we employed deep sequencing to identify both conserved and novel miRNAs from salinity-exposed H. caspica and its untreated control. Among the 13-19 million sequences generated from both treatments, a total of 170 conserved miRNAs, belonging to 151 miRNA families, were identified; among these miRNAs, 31 were significantly up-regulated and 48 were significantly down-regulated by salinity stress. We also identified 102 novel miRNAs from H. caspica; among them, 12 miRNAs were significantly up-regulated and 13 were significantly down-regulated by salinity. qRT-PCR expression analysis validated the deep sequencing results and also demonstrated that miRNAs and their targeted genes were responsive to high salt stress and existed a negative expression correlation between miRNAs and their targets. miRNA-target prediction, GO and KEGG analysis showed that miRNAs were involved in salt stress-related biological pathway, including calcium signalling pathway, MAPK signalling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction and flavonoid biosynthesis, etc. This suggests that miRNAs play an important role in plant salt stress tolerance in H. caspica. This result could be used to improve salt tolerance in crops and woods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruirui Yang
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Biological Resources and Genetic Engineering, College of Life Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China
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45
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Wang Y, Zhao Z, Deng M, Liu R, Niu S, Fan G. Identification and functional analysis of microRNAs and their targets in Platanus acerifolia under lead (Pb) stress. Int J Mol Sci 2015; 16:7098-111. [PMID: 25830479 PMCID: PMC4425006 DOI: 10.3390/ijms16047098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2015] [Revised: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play important regulatory roles in development and stress responses in plants. Lead (Pb) is a non-essential element that is highly toxic to living organisms. Platanus acerifolia is grown as a street tree in cities throughout temperate regions for its importance in improving the urban ecological environment. MiRNAs that respond to abiotic stresses have been identified in plants; however, until now, the influence of Pb stress on P. acerifolia miRNAs has not been reported. To identify miRNAs and predict their target genes under Pb stress, two small RNA and two degradome libraries were constructed from Pb-treated and Pb-free leaves of P.acerifolia seedlings. After sequencing, 55 known miRNAs and 129 novel miRNAs were obtained, and 104 target genes for the miRNAs were identified by degradome sequencing. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were performed to predict the functions of the targets. The expressions of eight differentially expressed miRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). This is the first report about P. acerifolia miRNAs and their target genes under Pb stress. This study has provided data for further research into molecular mechanisms involved in resistance of P.acerifolia to Pb stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanlong Wang
- Institute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, 95 Wenhua Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
| | - Zhenli Zhao
- Institute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, 95 Wenhua Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
| | - Minjie Deng
- Institute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, 95 Wenhua Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
| | - Rongning Liu
- Institute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, 95 Wenhua Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Henan Vocational College of Agriculture, Zhengzhou 451450, China.
| | - Suyan Niu
- Institute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, 95 Wenhua Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
| | - Guoqiang Fan
- Institute of Paulownia, Henan Agricultural University, 95 Wenhua Road, Jinshui District, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
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46
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Luan M, Xu M, Lu Y, Zhang L, Fan Y, Wang L. Expression of zma-miR169 miRNAs and their target ZmNF-YA genes in response to abiotic stress in maize leaves. Gene 2015; 555:178-85. [PMID: 25445264 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2014.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2014] [Revised: 10/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The miR169 miRNA family is highly conserved in plants. Its members regulate the expression of genes encoding the universal transcription factor subunit NUCLEAR FACTOR-Y subunit A (NF-YA) via transcript cleavage. NF-YA regulates gene expression by binding the CCAAT box sequence in target promoters. The miR169/NF-YA module plays a critical role during plant development and in plant responses to abiotic stress. We characterized the secondary structures of maize pre-miR169 miRNAs and predicted their potential gene targets. Coexpression of zma-miR169 and ZmNF-YA in Nicotiana benthamiana demonstrated that mutations in or deletion of target sites abolished regulation by zma-miR169. Maize seedlings were subjected to short-term (0-48h) and long-term (15days) drought, abscisic acid (ABA), or salt stress. Long-term exposure to PEG (drought stress) or NaCl (salt stress) repressed seedling growth. We investigated the expression patterns of zma-miR169s and their target ZmNF-YA genes in maize leaves and found diverse changes in expression in response to the three stress treatments. The expression of most zma-miR169 genes was downregulated by PEG and upregulated by ABA. In response to salt stress, zma-miR169 genes were upregulated initially and subsequently downregulated. Most ZmNF-YA genes were upregulated during the short term and downregulated by 15days in response to the three stress treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingda Luan
- Biotechnology Research Institute/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Miaoyun Xu
- Biotechnology Research Institute/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Yunming Lu
- Shenzhen Nongke Group Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China.
| | - Lan Zhang
- Biotechnology Research Institute/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Yunliu Fan
- Biotechnology Research Institute/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Lei Wang
- Biotechnology Research Institute/The National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
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Xu M, Lu Y, Yang H, He J, Hu Z, Hu X, Luan M, Zhang L, Fan Y, Wang L. ZmGRF, a GA regulatory factor from maize, promotes flowering and plant growth in Arabidopsis. PLANT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2015; 87:157-67. [PMID: 25477078 DOI: 10.1007/s11103-014-0267-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 11/13/2014] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Transcription factors that act as positive regulators of gibberellin (GA) biosynthetic genes in plants are not well understood. A nuclear-localized basic leucine zipper transcription factor, ZmGRF, was isolated from maize. The core DNA sequence motif recognized for binding by ZmGRF was CCANNTGGC. ZmGRF overexpression in transgenic Arabidopsis plants promoted flowering, stem elongation, and cell expansion. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that ZmGRF bound directly to the cis-element CCANNTGGC in the promoter of the Arabidopsis ent-kaurene oxidase (AtKO1) gene and promoted AtKO1 expression. GA4 content increased by 372-567% in transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing ZmGRF compared to wild-type control plants. The GIBBERELLIN-INSENSITIVE DWARF1 gene, which encodes a GA receptor, was also upregulated and the growth-repressing DELLA protein gene GA INSENSITIVE was downregulated. Our results showed ZmGRF functioned through the GA-signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaoyun Xu
- Biotechnology Research Institute, National Key Facility for Crop Gene Resources and Genetic Improvement, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China
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48
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ZmSOC1, a MADS-box transcription factor from Zea mays, promotes flowering in Arabidopsis. Int J Mol Sci 2014; 15:19987-20003. [PMID: 25372944 PMCID: PMC4264151 DOI: 10.3390/ijms151119987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Revised: 10/17/2014] [Accepted: 10/23/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Zea mays is an economically important crop, but its molecular mechanism of flowering remains largely uncharacterized. The gene, SUPPRESSOR OF OVEREXPRESSION OF CONSTANS 1 (SOC1), integrates multiple flowering signals to regulate floral transition in Arabidopsis. In this study, ZmSOC1 was isolated from Zea mays. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the ZmSOC1 protein contained a highly conserved MADS domain and a typical SOC1 motif. ZmSOC1 protein was localized in the nucleus in protoplasts and showed no transcriptional activation activity in yeast cells. ZmSOC1 was highly expressed in maize reproductive organs, including filaments, ear and endosperm, but expression was very low in embryos; on the other hand, the abiotic stresses could repress ZmSOC1 expression. Overexpression of ZmSOC1 resulted in early flowering in Arabidopsis through increasing the expression of AtLFY and AtAP1. Overall, these results suggest that ZmSOC1 is a flowering promoter in Arabidopsis.
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