Identification of phasiRNAs and their drought‐ responsiveness in Populus trichocarpa

Abstract

Phased, secondary, small interfering RNA (phasiRNA) perform essential biological functions in plants. However, limited information is available on the role of phasiRNA genes in Populus (poplar), especially during drought stress. In this study, we identified 20 PHAS loci generating 91 phasiRNA in the genome of the model forest tree Populus trichocarpa (P. trichocarpa; western balsam-poplar) using the control and drought libraries. Our analysis indicated that six PHAS (PtPHA14-20) initiated by two Populus-specific miRNAs (miR6445 and miR6427) were specific to Populus. In addition, a total of 47 phasiRNA were found to be drought responsive, and five of them were confirmed by RT-qPCR. The phase cleavage of three PHAS loci by miRNA, and degradation of nine transcript targets by phasiRNA were experimentally confirmed based on degradome data. The identification of these Populus phasiRNA will contribute to a better understanding of their function and regulation during drought stress.

Identification of tRFs and phasiRNAs in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and their responses to exogenous abscisic acid

“…It indicated that the inhibitory effect of ABA on phasiRNAs expression was stronger than facilitation. Previous studies have shown that the expression of phasiRNAs changed at varying ranges in Arabidopsis thaliana under phosphorus deficiency conditions (Hsieh et al 2009), in Populus trichocarpa under drought (Shuai et al 2016) and in tomato infected with B. cinereal (Wu et al 2017). In this study, the phasiRNA expressions were inhibited in generally in tomato leaves after exposure to exogenous ABA, presenting that ABA can regulate phasiRNAs expressions and further proved that phasiRNA may be involved in plant responses to different biotic and abiotic stresses.…”

“…PhsiRNA can participate in plant reproductive regulation by regulating cell division and differentiation, affect the development of tissues and organs during plant growth and development (Benkovics and Timmermans 2014;Fan et al 2016). In addition, phasiRNA also play important role in resisting abiotic stress (Li et al 2014;Shuai et al 2016;Sosa-Valencia et al 2017)and pathogen infection (Jagadeeswaran et al 2009;Wu et al 2017;Zheng et al 2017). For example, the phasiRNAs produced in miR6445-PHA18 pathway and miR393-PHA1/2 pathway can regulate the response of Populus trichocarpa to drought and salt stress respectively (Shuai et al 2016).…”

“…In addition, phasiRNA also play important role in resisting abiotic stress (Li et al 2014;Shuai et al 2016;Sosa-Valencia et al 2017)and pathogen infection (Jagadeeswaran et al 2009;Wu et al 2017;Zheng et al 2017). For example, the phasiRNAs produced in miR6445-PHA18 pathway and miR393-PHA1/2 pathway can regulate the response of Populus trichocarpa to drought and salt stress respectively (Shuai et al 2016). In addition, the trans-acting of phasiRNA enhances tomato resistance to potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) (Zheng et al 2017).…”

Identification of tRFs and phasiRNAs in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and their responses to exogenous abscisic acid

“…PhsiRNA can participate in plant reproductive regulation by regulating cell division and differentiation, affect the development of tissues and organs during plant growth and development [8,19]. In addition, phasiRNA also play important role in resisting abiotic stress [34,51,54] and pathogen infection [26,61,68]. For example, the phasiRNAs produced in miR6445-PHA18 pathway and miR393-PHA1/2 pathway can regulate the response of Populus trichocarpa to drought and salt stress respectively [51].…”

“…In addition, phasiRNA also play important role in resisting abiotic stress [34,51,54] and pathogen infection [26,61,68]. For example, the phasiRNAs produced in miR6445-PHA18 pathway and miR393-PHA1/2 pathway can regulate the response of Populus trichocarpa to drought and salt stress respectively [51]. In addition, the trans-acting of phasiRNA enhances tomato resistance to potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) [68].…”