叶片衰老,叶子发育的最后阶段,对于整个植物的适应性至关重要,因为它标志着养分从衰老的叶子转移到生殖或其他发育器官。通过涉及多层调节机制的高度调节的遗传程序,可以对叶片衰老过程中的暂时协调的生理和功能变化进行微调。长非编码RNA(lncRNAs)是新出现的隐藏在许多生物过程中的参与者;然而,它们对叶片衰老的贡献在很大程度上是未知的。这里,我们对代表叶片所有发育阶段的RNA-seq数据进行了综合分析,以确定沿叶片老化的全基因组lncRNA景观。总共771个lncRNAs,包括232个未注释的lncRNAs,已确定。时程分析显示771个发育年龄相关的lncRNAs(AR-lncRNAs)中有446个。有趣的是,AR-lncRNAs的表达在衰老的叶片中比在生长的叶片中受到更动态的调节,揭示了这些lncRNAs对叶片衰老的相关贡献。进一步的分析使我们能够推断lncRNAs的功能,基于它们相互作用的miRNA或mRNA伴侣。我们考虑了功能不同的lncRNAs,包括反义lncRNAs(调节重叠的蛋白质编码基因),竞争性内源性RNA(CERNA;使用miRNA作为锚调节配对的mRNA),和mRNA相互作用的lncRNAs(影响mRNA的稳定性)。此外,我们通过分子和表型分析实验验证了三种新型AR-lncRNA的衰老调节功能,包括一种反义lncRNA和两种与mRNA相互作用的lncRNA.我们的研究提供了AR-lncRNAs和潜在调控网络的宝贵资源,这些网络将编码mRNA和AR-lncRNAs的功能联系起来。一起,我们的结果表明AR-lncRNAs是叶片衰老过程中的重要元件。
Leaf senescence, the last stage of leaf development, is essential for whole-plant fitness as it marks the relocation of nutrients from senescing leaves to reproductive or other developing organs. Temporally coordinated physiological and functional changes along leaf aging are fine-tuned by a highly regulated genetic program involving multi-layered regulatory mechanisms. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are newly emerging as hidden players in many biological processes; however, their contribution to leaf senescence has been largely unknown. Here, we performed comprehensive analyses of RNA-seq data representing all developmental stages of leaves to determine the genome-wide lncRNA landscape along leaf aging. A total of 771 lncRNAs, including 232 unannotated lncRNAs, were identified. Time-course analysis revealed 446 among 771 developmental age-related lncRNAs (AR-lncRNAs). Intriguingly, the expression of AR-lncRNAs was regulated more dynamically in senescing leaves than in growing leaves, revealing the relevant contribution of these lncRNAs to leaf senescence. Further analyses enabled us to infer the function of lncRNAs, based on their interacting miRNA or mRNA partners. We considered functionally diverse lncRNAs including antisense lncRNAs (which regulate overlapping protein-coding genes), competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs; which regulate paired mRNAs using miRNAs as anchors), and mRNA-interacting lncRNAs (which affect the stability of mRNAs). Furthermore, we experimentally validated the senescence regulatory function of three novel AR-lncRNAs including one antisense lncRNA and two mRNA-interacting lncRNAs through molecular and phenotypic analyses. Our study provides a valuable resource of AR-lncRNAs and potential regulatory networks that link the function of coding mRNA and AR-lncRNAs. Together, our results reveal AR-lncRNAs as important elements in the leaf senescence process.