Plant Physiology：lncRNA增强植物抗旱、盐分等非生物胁迫

    近日，德州农工大学（Texas A&M AgriLife Research）科学家发现了一种lncRNA(长链非编码RNA（核糖核酸)，命名为 DRIR (Drought induced RNA ,干旱诱导的RNA分子), 可以增强拟南芥对干旱和盐分胁迫的抵抗力。研究者发现在非胁迫条件下，该lncRNA表达量很低,，但当植物遇到干旱或盐胁迫时如ABA处理下,lncRNA水平就迅速增加。该研究成果已发表在最近的《Plant Physiology》上。

IMAGE: A side-by-side comparison shows better heat and drought tolerance in thale cressplants whose level of a specific RNA was increased.

    近年来，非编码ncRNA受到很多关注,但是在很多时间里, 这些lncRNA是如何影响到植物拟南芥耐旱性和耐盐的特性，人们对这些ncRNA生物学功能尚不清楚。“目前关于提高植物胁迫耐受性的大部分编码蛋白的基因而对lncRNA的相关功能还非常少见，然而，对这些编码蛋白的基因的操纵往往会损害植物的生长和发育。但是，我们对lncRNA的表达调控对植物的生长发育没有任何明显的损害”，AgriLife研究副教授,达拉斯医生林明雄 (意译)博士说到。这一发现有助于开辟植物抗旱耐盐一个新的lncRNA途径。

A Nucleus-localized Long Non-Coding RNAEnhances Drought and Salt Stress Tolerance

Tao Qin, Huayan Zhao, PengCui, Nour Albesher, Liming Xiong

Published September2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.17.00574

Abstract:

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)affect gene expression through a wide range of mechanisms and are considered asimportant regulators in many essential biological processes. A large number oflncRNA transcripts have been predicted or identified in plants in recent years.However, the biological functions for most of them are still unknown. In thisstudy, we identified an Arabidopsis thaliana lncRNA, Drought induced RNA(DRIR), as a novel positive regulator of plant response to drought and saltstress. DRIR was expressed at a low level under non-stress conditions but canbe significantly activated by drought and salt stress as well as by abscisicacid (ABA) treatment. We identified a T-DNA insertion mutant, drirD, which hadhigher expression of the DRIR gene than the wild type plants. The drirD mutantexhibits increased tolerance to drought and salt stress. Overexpressing DRIR inArabidopsis also increased tolerance to drought and salt stress of thetransgenic plants. The drirD mutant and the overexpressing seedlings are moresensitive to ABA than the wild type in stomata closure and seedling growth.Genome-wide transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the expression of a largenumber of genes was altered in drirD and the overexpressing plants. These includegenes involved in ABA signaling, water transport and other stress-reliefprocesses. Our study reveals a mechanism whereby DRIR regulates plant responseto abiotic stress by modulating the expression of a series of genes involved instress response.