The silent regulators: unveiling the role of lncRNAs in plant biology
image: The classification of main ncRNAs in plants. A, the classification of small RNAs, the display from left to right represents hierarchical relationships, every solid box presents one type of small RNA. B, the classification of medium-sized ncRNAs. C, the classification of lncRNAs, the green line and arrow represent lncRNAs transcription direction while the black line and arrow represent coding genes. D, the diagrammatic sketch of circular RNAs. hpRNA, hairpin RNA; siRNA, small interfering RNA; miRNA, microRNA; NAT-siRNA, natural antisense transcript siRNA; phasi RNAs, phased small interfering RNAs; U6 snRNA, U6 small nuclear RNA; snoRNA, small nucleolar RNA; TSS, transcription start site; TTS, transcription termination site.
Credit: Horticulture Research
A recent review has identified the critical role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in regulating plant growth and stress responses. The research reveals complex interactions among various classes of non-coding RNAs, with lncRNAs emerging as key regulators. This discovery offers new insights into how plants adapt to environmental challenges, potentially paving the way for developing more resilient crop varieties.
Plants face a host of challenges, from shifting climate conditions to nutrient limitations, which impact their growth and productivity. Traditionally, research has focused on protein-coding genes to understand plant responses to these stressors. However, with advances in high-throughput sequencing, non-coding RNAs, particularly long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), have been identified as significant players in regulating essential plant functions. Due to these challenges, deeper exploration into lncRNAs and their regulatory roles is crucial.
A research team led by Lingling Zhang from China Agricultural University published their findings (DOI: 10.1093/hr/uhad234) on November 17, 2023, in Horticulture Research. The review focused on the pivotal role of lncRNAs in plant growth and adaptation to stress. The team explored how lncRNAs interact with small RNAs and other non-coding RNAs to uncover new regulatory mechanisms. Their work underscores the importance of lncRNAs in helping plants respond to environmental stressors, offering fresh perspectives in plant science.
The review provides a detailed examination of lncRNAs, emphasizing their role in coordinating plant responses to environmental stimuli. LncRNAs, over 200 nucleotides long, interact with small RNAs such as microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) across various gene regions, including promoters, untranslated regions, and introns. A major finding was the involvement of lncRNAs in phase separation, where they form biomolecular condensates that control plant growth and stress responses. This positions lncRNAs as central regulators in plant networks. Additionally, the research demonstrated how lncRNAs function as molecular sponges, scaffolds, or interaction factors, facilitating communication between non-coding RNAs. The team also uncovered the potential of lncRNAs to encode micropeptides, expanding our understanding of their functions. These discoveries highlight lncRNAs as vital targets for enhancing plant resilience.
Lead author Dr. Lingling Zhang commented on the findings: “This study represents a significant advancement in understanding how lncRNAs regulate plant growth and adaptation. The interactions between lncRNAs and other non-coding RNAs open up new possibilities for decoding complex plant regulatory networks. Further research into these mechanisms could enable us to engineer crops that are more resistant to environmental challenges.”
The identification of lncRNAs’ regulatory roles holds considerable promise for agriculture. By manipulating these non-coding RNAs, scientists may be able to enhance crop resilience against stresses like drought, salinity, and temperature extremes. Furthermore, the potential of lncRNAs to encode micropeptides offers new avenues for bioengineering plants with better growth and stress tolerance. These innovations could contribute to more sustainable farming practices and strengthen global food security.
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References
DOI
Original Source URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/hr/uhad234
Funding information
This review was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFD2100101), the National Natural Science Foundation of China to G.Z. (Grant No. 32302623), the Joint NSFC-ISF Research Program (Grant No. 32061143022), and the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (Grant No. 32172639).
About Horticulture Research
Horticulture Research is an open access journal of Nanjing Agricultural University and ranked number one in the Horticulture category of the Journal Citation Reports ™ from Clarivate, 2022. The journal is committed to publishing original research articles, reviews, perspectives, comments, correspondence articles and letters to the editor related to all major horticultural plants and disciplines, including biotechnology, breeding, cellular and molecular biology, evolution, genetics, inter-species interactions, physiology, and the origination and domestication of crops.