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You FM. Plant Genomics-Advancing Our Understanding of Plants. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11528. [PMID: 37511285 PMCID: PMC10380513 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant genomics has made significant progress in recent years, enabling researchers to identify genes and genomic regions responsible for plant growth, development, and stress response [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank M You
- Ottawa Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0C6, Canada
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2
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In Silico Identification of Cassava Genome-Encoded MicroRNAs with Predicted Potential for Targeting the ICMV-Kerala Begomoviral Pathogen of Cassava. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020486. [PMID: 36851701 PMCID: PMC9963618 DOI: 10.3390/v15020486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is caused by several divergent species belonging to the genus Begomovirus (Geminiviridae) transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci cryptic species group. In India and other parts of Asia, the Indian cassava mosaic virus-Kerala (ICMV-Ker) is an emergent begomovirus of cassava causing damage that results in reduced yield loss and tuber quality. Double-stranded RNA-mediated interference (RNAi) is an evolutionary conserved mechanism in eukaryotes and highly effective, innate defense system to inhibit plant viral replication and/or translation. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize cassava genome-encoded microRNAs (mes-miRNA) that are predicted to target ICMV-Ker ssDNA-encoded mRNAs, based on four in silico algorithms: miRanda, RNA22, Tapirhybrid, and psRNA. The goal is to deploy the predicted miRNAs to trigger RNAi and develop cassava plants with resistance to ICMV-Ker. Experimentally validated mature cassava miRNA sequences (n = 175) were downloaded from the miRBase biological database and aligned with the ICMV-Ker genome. The miRNAs were evaluated for base-pairing with the cassava miRNA seed regions and to complementary binding sites within target viral mRNAs. Among the 175 locus-derived mes-miRNAs evaluated, one cassava miRNA homolog, mes-miR1446a, was identified to have a predicted miRNA target binding site, at position 2053 of the ICMV-Ker genome. To predict whether the cassava miRNA might bind predicted ICMV-Ker mRNA target(s) that could disrupt viral infection of cassava plants, a cassava locus-derived miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed using Circos software. The in silico-predicted cassava locus-derived mes-miRNA-mRNA network corroborated interactions between cassava mature miRNAs and the ICMV-Ker genome that warrant in vivo analysis, which could lead to the development of ICMV-Ker resistant cassava plants.
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Doan PPT, Kim JH, Kim J. Rapid Investigation of Functional Roles of Genes in Regulation of Leaf Senescence Using Arabidopsis Protoplasts. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:818239. [PMID: 35371171 PMCID: PMC8969776 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.818239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Leaf senescence is the final stage of leaf development preceding death, which involves a significant cellular metabolic transition from anabolism to catabolism. Several processes during leaf senescence require coordinated regulation by senescence regulatory genes. In this study, we developed a rapid and systematic cellular approach to dissect the functional roles of genes in senescence regulation through their transient expression in Arabidopsis protoplasts. We established and validated this system by monitoring the differential expression of a luciferase-based reporter that was driven by promoters of SEN4 and SAG12, early and late senescence-responsive genes, depending on effectors of known positive and negative senescence regulators. Overexpression of positive senescence regulators, including ORE1, RPK1, and RAV1, increased the expression of both SEN4- and SAG12-LUC while ORE7, a negative senescence regulator decreased their expression. Consistently with overexpression, knockdown of target genes using amiRNAs resulted in opposite SAG12-LUC expression patterns. The timing and patterns of reporter responses induced by senescence regulators provided molecular evidence for their distinct kinetic involvement in leaf senescence regulation. Remarkably, ORE1 and RPK1 are involved in cell death responses, with more prominent and earlier involvement of ORE1 than RPK1. Consistent with the results in protoplasts, further time series of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell death assays using different tobacco transient systems reveal that ORE1 causes acute cell death and RPK1 mediates superoxide-dependent intermediate cell death signaling during leaf senescence. Overall, our results indicated that the luciferase-based reporter system in protoplasts is a reliable experimental system that can be effectively used to examine the regulatory roles of Arabidopsis senescence-associated genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phan Phuong Thao Doan
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology & Science, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea
| | - Jin Hee Kim
- Subtropical Horticulture Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea
| | - Jeongsik Kim
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Advanced Convergence Technology & Science, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea
- Subtropical Horticulture Research Institute, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea
- Faculty of Science Education, Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea
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Shen W, Cao S, Liu J, Zhang W, Chen J, Li JF. Overexpression of an Osa-miR162a Derivative in Rice Confers Cross-Kingdom RNA Interference-Mediated Brown Planthopper Resistance without Perturbing Host Development. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222312652. [PMID: 34884461 PMCID: PMC8657652 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222312652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Rice is a main food crop for more than half of the global population. The brown planthopper (BPH, Nilaparvata lugens) is one of the most destructive insect pests of rice. Currently, repeated overuse of chemical insecticides represents a common practice in agriculture for BPH control, which can induce insect tolerance and provoke environmental concerns. This situation calls for innovative and widely applicable strategies for rice protection against BPH. Here we report that the rice osa-miR162a can mediate cross-kingdom RNA interference (RNAi) by targeting the NlTOR (Target of rapamycin) gene of BPH that regulates the reproduction process. Through artificial diet or injection, osa-miR162a mimics repressed the NlTOR expression and impaired the oviposition of BPH adults. Consistently, overproduced osa-miR162a in transgenic rice plants compromised the fecundity of BPH adults fed with these plants, but meanwhile perturbed root and grain development. To circumvent this issue, we generated osa-miR162a-m1, a sequence-optimized osa-miR162a, by decreasing base complementarity to rice endogenous target genes while increasing base complementarity to NlTOR. Transgenic overexpression of osa-miR162a-m1 conferred rice resistance to BPH without detectable developmental penalty. This work reveals the first cross-kingdom RNAi mechanism in rice-BPH interactions and inspires a potentially useful approach for improving rice resistance to BPH. We also introduce an effective strategy to uncouple unwanted host developmental perturbation from desirable cross-kingdom RNAi benefits for overexpressed plant miRNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenzhong Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; (W.S.); (S.C.); (J.L.); (W.Z.)
| | - Shanni Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; (W.S.); (S.C.); (J.L.); (W.Z.)
| | - Jinhui Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; (W.S.); (S.C.); (J.L.); (W.Z.)
| | - Wenqing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; (W.S.); (S.C.); (J.L.); (W.Z.)
| | - Jie Chen
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China
- Correspondence: (J.C.); (J.-F.L.); Tel./Fax: +86-20-39943513 (J.-F.L.)
| | - Jian-Feng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; (W.S.); (S.C.); (J.L.); (W.Z.)
- Correspondence: (J.C.); (J.-F.L.); Tel./Fax: +86-20-39943513 (J.-F.L.)
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5
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Lunardon A, Kariuki SM, Axtell MJ. Expression and processing of polycistronic artificial microRNAs and trans-acting siRNAs from transiently introduced transgenes in Solanum lycopersicum and Nicotiana benthamiana. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2021; 106:1087-1104. [PMID: 33655542 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Targeted gene silencing using small regulatory RNAs is a widely used technique for genetic studies in plants. Artificial microRNAs are one common approach, as they have the advantage of producing just a single functional small RNA, which can be designed for high target specificity and low off-target effects. Simultaneous silencing of multiple targets with artificial microRNAs can be achieved by producing polycistronic microRNA precursors. Alternatively, specialized trans-acting short interfering RNA (tasiRNA) precursors can be designed to produce several specific tasiRNAs at once. Here we tested several artificial microRNA- and tasiRNA-based methods for multiplexed gene silencing in Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Nicotiana benthamiana. All analyses used transiently expressed transgenes delivered by infiltration of leaves with Agrobacterium tumefacians. Small RNA sequencing analyses revealed that many previously described approaches resulted in poor small RNA processing. The 5'-most microRNA precursor hairpins on polycistronic artificial microRNA precursors were generally processed more accurately than precursors at the 3'-end. Polycistronic artificial microRNAs where the hairpin precursors were separated by transfer RNAs had the best processing precision. Strikingly, artificial tasiRNA precursors failed to be processed in the expected phased manner in our system. These results highlight the need for further development of multiplexed artificial microRNA and tasiRNA strategies. The importance of small RNA sequencing, as opposed to single-target assays such as RNA blots or real-time polymerase chain reaction, is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Lunardon
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Samwel Muiruri Kariuki
- International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nairobi, PO Box 30709-00100, Kenya
- Department of Plant Sciences, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, PO Box 43844-00100, Kenya
| | - Michael J Axtell
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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Waheed S, Anwar M, Saleem MA, Wu J, Tayyab M, Hu Z. The Critical Role of Small RNAs in Regulating Plant Innate Immunity. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11020184. [PMID: 33572741 PMCID: PMC7912340 DOI: 10.3390/biom11020184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 01/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants, due to their sessile nature, have an innate immune system that helps them to defend against different pathogen infections. The defense response of plants is composed of a highly regulated and complex molecular network, involving the extensive reprogramming of gene expression during the presence of pathogenic molecular signatures. Plants attain proper defense against pathogens through the transcriptional regulation of genes encoding defense regulatory proteins and hormone signaling pathways. Small RNAs are emerging as versatile regulators of plant development and act in different tiers of plant immunity, including pathogen-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI). The versatile regulatory functions of small RNAs in plant growth and development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses have been widely studied in recent years. However, available information regarding the contribution of small RNAs in plant immunity against pathogens is more limited. This review article will focus on the role of small RNAs in innate immunity in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saquib Waheed
- College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
| | - Muhammad Anwar
- Guangdong Technology Research Center for Marine Algal Bioengineering, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (Z.H.)
| | - Muhammad Asif Saleem
- Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan;
| | - Jinsong Wu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource & Eco-Environmental Science, Longhua Innovation Institute for Biotechnology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
| | - Muhammad Tayyab
- Key Laboratory of Sugarcane Biology and Genetic Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China;
| | - Zhangli Hu
- Guangdong Technology Research Center for Marine Algal Bioengineering, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Epigenetics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresource & Eco-Environmental Science, Longhua Innovation Institute for Biotechnology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China;
- Correspondence: (M.A.); (Z.H.)
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Wójcik AM. Research Tools for the Functional Genomics of Plant miRNAs During Zygotic and Somatic Embryogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E4969. [PMID: 32674459 PMCID: PMC7420248 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21144969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
During early plant embryogenesis, some of the most fundamental decisions on fate and identity are taken making it a fascinating process to study. It is no surprise that higher plant embryogenesis was intensively analysed during the last century, while somatic embryogenesis is probably the most studied regeneration model. Encoded by the MIRNA, short, single-stranded, non-coding miRNAs, are commonly present in all Eukaryotic genomes and are involved in the regulation of the gene expression during the essential developmental processes such as plant morphogenesis, hormone signaling, and developmental phase transition. During the last few years dedicated to miRNAs, analytical methods and tools have been developed, which have afforded new opportunities in functional analyses of plant miRNAs, including (i) databases for in silico analysis; (ii) miRNAs detection and expression approaches; (iii) reporter and sensor lines for a spatio-temporal analysis of the miRNA-target interactions; (iv) in situ hybridisation protocols; (v) artificial miRNAs; (vi) MIM and STTM lines to inhibit miRNA activity, and (vii) the target genes resistant to miRNA. Here, we attempted to summarise the toolbox for functional analysis of miRNAs during plant embryogenesis. In addition to characterising the described tools/methods, examples of the applications have been presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Maria Wójcik
- University of Silesia in Katowice, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Jagiellonska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland
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