A novel long non-coding RNA, DIR, increases drought tolerance in cassava by modifying stress-related gene expression

作     者：DONG Shi-man XIAO Liang LI Zhi-bo SHEN Jie YAN Hua-bing LI Shu-xia LIAO Wen-bin PENG Ming DONG Shi-man;XIAO Liang;LI Zhi-bo;SHEN Jie;YAN Hua-bing;LI Shu-xia;LIAO Wen-bin;PENG Ming

作者机构：Key Laboratory of Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical CropsInstitute of Tropical Bioscience and BiotechnologyChinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural SciencesHaikou 571101P.R.China Key Laboratory for Biology and Genetic Resources of Tropical Crops of Hainan ProvinceHainan Institute for Tropical Agricultural ResourcesHaikou 571101P.R.China Cash Crops Research InstituteGuangxi Academy of Agricultural SciencesNanning 530007P.R.China College of Tropical CropsHainan UniversityHaikou 570228P.R.China 

出 版 物：《Journal of Integrative Agriculture》 (农业科学学报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2022年第21卷第9期

页      面：2588-2602页

核心收录：

学科分类：09[农学] 0901[农学-作物学] 

基　　金：supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFD1000500,2019YFD1000500,and 2019YFD1001105) the Central Public-interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund for Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences(1630052021026 and 1630052022008) the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31960440) the Hainan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(320MS097) the Natural Science Foundation of China(31701484)。 

主　　题：lncRNA RNA-seq drought stress cassava DIR 

摘      要：Cassava is an important tropical cash crop. Severe drought stresses affect cassava productivity and quality, and cause great economic losses in agricultural production. Enhancing the drought tolerance of cassava can effectively improve its yield. Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs) are present in a wide variety of eukaryotes. Recently, increasing evidence has shown that lncRNAs play a critical role in the responses to abiotic stresses. However, the function of cassava lncRNAs in the drought response remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified a novel lncRNA, DROUGHT-INDUCED INTERGENIC lncRNA(DIR). Gene expression analysis showed that DIR was significantly induced by drought stress treatment, but did not respond to abscisic acid(ABA) or jasmonic acid(JA) treatments. In addition, overexpression of the DIR gene enhanced proline accumulation and drought tolerance in transgenic cassava. RNA-seq analysis revealed that DIR preferentially affected drought-related genes that were linked to transcription and metabolism. Moreover, RNA pull-down mass spectrometry analysis showed that DIR interacted with 325 proteins. A protein–protein interaction(PPI)analysis found a marked enrichment in proteins associated with the mRNA export and protein quality control pathways.Collectively, these results suggest that DIR and its interacting proteins that regulate mRNA or protein metabolism are involved in mediating the drought stress response. Thus, regulating DIR expression has potential for improving cassava yield under drought conditions.