It has recently been shown that RNA 3′ end formation plays a more widespread role in controlling gene expression than previously thought. In order to examine the impact of regulated 3′ end formation genome-wide we applied direct RNA sequencing to A. thaliana. Here we show the authentic transcriptome in unprecedented detail and how 3′ end formation impacts genome organization. We reveal extreme heterogeneity in RNA 3′ ends, discover previously unrecognized non-coding RNAs and propose widespread re-annotation of the genome. We explain the origin of most poly(A)+ antisense RNAs and identify cis-elements that control 3′ end formation in different registers. These findings are essential to understand what the genome actually encodes, how it is organized and the impact of regulated 3′ end formation on these processes.

The spen family protein FPA is required for flowering time control and has been implicated in RNA silencing. The mechanism by which FPA carries out these functions is unknown. We report the identification of an activity for FPA in controlling mRNA 3' end formation. We show that FPA functions redundantly with FCA, another RNA binding protein that controls flowering and RNA silencing, to control the expression of alternatively polyadenylated antisense RNAs at the locus encoding the floral repressor FLC. In addition, we show that defective 3' end formation at an upstream RNA polymerase II-dependent gene explains the apparent derepression of the AtSN1 retroelement in fpa mutants. Transcript readthrough accounts for the absence of changes in DNA methylation and siRNA abundance at AtSN1 in fpa mutants, and this may explain other examples of epigenetic transitions not associated with chromatin modification.

Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) is INTRODUCTIONPost-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), first identified in plants, is now thought to be an ancient self-defense mechanism acting against molecular parasites (Waterhouse et al., 2001). Introduction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) into plant cells triggers PTGS, resulting in the degradation of dsRNA and cognate mRNAs (Schweizer et al., 2000). A similar mechanism appears to operate in a wide variety of organisms, including filamentous fungi, nematodes, Drosophila , mice, and cultured HeLa cells, and generally is referred to as RNA interference (RNAi) (Cogoni and Macino, 1999a;Fire, 1999;Grant, 1999;Sharp and Zamore, 2000;Elbashir et al., 2001a;Svoboda et al., 2000). Recently, homologous genes required for PTGS were identified from different organisms, demonstrating the conservation of the gene-silencing machinery Macino, 1999a, 1999b;Ketting et al., 1999;Tabara et al., 1999;Catalanotto et al., 2000;Dalmay et al., 2000Dalmay et al., , 2001Domeier et al., 2000;Fagard et al., 2000;Mourrain et al., 2000;Smardon et al., 2000;Wu-Scharf et al., 2000). The accumulation of 21-to 25-nucleotide RNAs corresponding to both sense and antisense strands of target RNA occurs during PTGS in plant and animal cells (Hamilton and Baulcombe, 1999;Hammond et al., 2000;Parrish et al., 2000). These 21-to 25-nucleotide RNAs are generated by an RNase III-like enzyme (DICER) as the initiation step of RNAi, providing the specificity of a second RNase complex (RISC) that targets the cognate single-stranded (ss) RNAs (Bernstein et al., 2001).In plants, PTGS has evolved as an antiviral system. PTGS is triggered efficiently by dsRNA intermediates of cytoplasmically replicating viruses. The RNA genome of the invading virus is targeted and eliminated specifically when this natural antiviral mechanism is activated (Waterhouse et al., 1998(Waterhouse et al., , 1999Baulcombe, 1999;Smith et al., 2000;. In higher plants, PTGS is not limited to the cells in which it is activated, because mobile signals produced by PTGS can spread and confer sequence-specific RNA degradation in distant tissues (Palauqui et al., 1997;Voinnet and Baulcombe, 1997).Consistent with the importance of PTGS as an antiviral response, many viruses encode gene-silencing suppressor proteins (Anandalakshmi et al., 1998;Beclin et al., 1998;Brigneti et al., 1998;Kasschau and Carrington, 1998;Voinnet et al., 1999Voinnet et al., , 2000. However, not all viruses are able to suppress PTGS, and some virus-infected plants recover after the development of the first systemic viral symptoms (e.g., 1 These authors contributed equally to this work. 2 To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail burgyan@ abc.hu; fax 36-28-430-416. Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.010366. 360The Plant Cell nepovirus-infected tobacco plants; Ratcliff et al., 1997). Upper leaves of recovered plants lack symptoms (or show attenuated symptoms), and the virus content in these leav...

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) represent a class of short, non-coding, endogenous RNAs which play important roles in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. While the diverse functions of miRNAs in model plants have been well studied, the impact of miRNAs in crop plant biology is poorly understood. Here we used high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis to analyze miRNAs in the tuber bearing crop potato (Solanum tuberosum). Small RNAs were analysed from leaf and stolon tissues. 28 conserved miRNA families were found and potato-specific miRNAs were identified and validated by RNA gel blot hybridization. The size, origin and predicted targets of conserved and potato specific miRNAs are described. The large number of miRNAs and complex population of small RNAs in potato suggest important roles for these non-coding RNAs in diverse physiological and metabolic pathways.

Key message Downy mildew resistance across days post-inoculation, experiments, and years in two interspecific grapevine F 1 families was investigated using linear mixed models and Bayesian networks, and five new QTL were identified. Abstract Breeding grapevines for downy mildew disease resistance has traditionally relied on qualitative gene resistance, which can be overcome by pathogen evolution. Analyzing two interspecific F 1 families, both having ancestry derived from Vitis vinifera and wild North American Vitis species, across 2 years and multiple experiments, we found multiple loci associated with downy mildew sporulation and hypersensitive response in both families using a single phenotype model. The loci explained between 7 and 17% of the variance for either phenotype, suggesting a complex genetic architecture for these traits in the two families studied. For two loci, we used RNA-Seq to detect differentially transcribed genes and found that the candidate genes at these loci were likely not NBS-LRR genes. Additionally, using a multiple phenotype Bayesian network analysis, we found effects between the leaf trichome density, hypersensitive response, and sporulation phenotypes. Moderate-high heritabilities were found for all three phenotypes, suggesting that selection for downy mildew resistance is an achievable goal by breeding for either physical-or non-physical-based resistance mechanisms, with the combination of the two possibly providing durable resistance.

In plants, posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) is an ancient and effective defense mechanism against viral infection. A number of viruses encode proteins that suppress virus-activated PTGS. The p19 protein of tombusviruses is a potent PTGS suppressor which interferes with the onset of PTGS-generated systemic signaling and is not required for viral replication or for viral movement in Nicotiana benthamiana. This unique feature of p19 suppressor allowed us to analyze the mechanism of PTGS-based host defense and its viral suppression without interfering with other viral functions. In contrast to the necrotic symptoms caused by wild-type tombusvirus, the infection of p19-defective mutant virus results in the development of a typical PTGS-associated recovery phenotype in N. benthamiana. In this report we show the effect of PTGS on the viral infection process for N. benthamiana infected with either wild-type Cymbidium Ringspot Tombusvirus (CymRSV) or a p19-defective mutant (Cym19stop). In situ analyses of different virus-derived products revealed that PTGS is not able to reduce accumulation of virus in primary infected cells regardless of the presence of p19 PTGS suppressor. We also showed that both CymRSV and Cym19stop viruses move systemically in the vasculature, with similar efficiencies. However, in contrast to the uniform accumulation of CymRSV throughout systemically infected leaves, the presence of Cym19stop virus was confined to and around the vascular bundles. These results suggest that the role of p19 is to prevent the onset of mobile signal-induced systemic PTGS ahead of the viral infection front, leading to generalized infection.

Plants re-program their gene expression when responding to changing environmental conditions. Besides differential gene expression, extensive alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNAs and changes in expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are associated with stress responses. RNA-sequencing of a diel time-series of the initial response of Arabidopsis thaliana rosettes to low temperature showed massive and rapid waves of both transcriptional and AS activity in protein-coding genes. We exploited the high diversity of transcript isoforms in AtRTD2 to examine regulation and post-transcriptional regulation of lncRNA gene expression in response to cold stress. We identified 135 lncRNA genes with cold-dependent differential expression (DE) and/or differential alternative splicing (DAS) of lncRNAs including natural antisense RNAs, sORF lncRNAs, and precursors of microRNAs (miRNAs) and trans-acting small-interfering RNAs (tasiRNAs). The high resolution (HR) of the time-series allowed the dynamics of changes in transcription and AS to be determined and identified early and adaptive transcriptional and AS changes in the cold response. Some lncRNA genes were regulated only at the level of AS and using plants grown at different temperatures and a HR time-course of the first 3 h of temperature reduction, we demonstrated that the AS of some lncRNAs is highly sensitive to small temperature changes suggesting tight regulation of expression. In particular, a splicing event in TAS1a which removed an intron that contained the miR173 processing and phased siRNAs generation sites was differentially alternatively spliced in response to cold. The cold-induced reduction of the spliced form of TAS1a and of the tasiRNAs suggests that splicing may enhance production of the siRNAs. Our results identify candidate lncRNAs that may contribute to the regulation of expression that determines the physiological processes essential for acclimation and freezing tolerance.

Highlights d Tuberization is developmentally and temperature dependent regulated via SP6A d SP6A expression is repressed under heat by a small RNA d Abolishing miRNA activity facilitates tuberization, even under strict heat conditions