The parent-of-origin lncRNA MISSEN regulates rice endosperm development

Abstract

The cereal endosperm is a major factor determining seed size and shape. However, the molecular mechanisms of endosperm development are not fully understood. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) function in various biological processes. Here we show a lncRNA, MISSEN, that plays an essential role in early endosperm development in rice (Oryza sativa). MISSEN is a parent-of-origin lncRNA expressed in endosperm, and negatively regulates endosperm development, leading to a prominent dent and bulge in the seed. Mechanistically, MISSEN functions through hijacking a helicase family protein (HeFP) to regulate tubulin function during endosperm nucleus division and endosperm cellularization, resulting in abnormal cytoskeletal polymerization. Finally, we revealed that the expression of MISSEN is inhibited by histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) modification after pollination. Therefore, MISSEN is the first lncRNA identified as a regulator in endosperm development, highlighting the potential applications in rice breeding.

Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of lncRNAs in sunflower endosperm

“…Studies on the endosperm of rice, maize and castor bean identi ed a small number of imprinted lncRNAs [22,33,43]. Recently, a maternally expressed lncRNA MISSEN were reported as a regulator to modulate rice endosperm development [44]. Hence, identi cation and studies on the potential roles of imprinted lncRNAs in the triploid endosperm were meaningful for understanding the development of seed.…”

“…So far, imprinted long noncoding RNAs were identi ed in endosperm of several plants [22,33,43]. Recently, a maternally expressed lncRNA MISSEN were reported as a regulator to modulate rice endosperm development [44]. In owering plants, seed development is an intricate and ordered process that is regulated by both genetic and epigenetic factors [45].…”

Long Non-Coding RNAs: New Players in Plants

“…H4k16ac and H3K4me3 were deposited, resulting in the up regulation of LRK1 expression and the increase in grain yield [ 52 ] ( Figure 1 g). Chen et al [ 109 ] have found the lncRNA MISSEN that regulates the molecular functions of tubulins during endosperm nuclear division and endosperm cellularization. By competing with tubulin, MISSEN binds to HeFP and prevents HeFP (helicase family protein) from participating in endosperm development, which in turn interferes with the normal development of the endosperm, rendering the produced seeds defective.…”

A lncRNA fine-tunes salicylic acid biosynthesis to balance plant immunity and growth

“…Emerging studies in animal systems highlight lowly expressed lncRNAs as key transcriptional regulators in the fine-tuning of spatial and temporal gene expressions in various cellular processes through diverse mechanisms (Gil and Ulitsky, 2020;Ransohoff et al, 2018;Statello et al, 2021). In plants, although characterization of lncRNA functions is still in a very early stage, biological functions and molecular mechanisms of a few lncRNAs have been implicated in plant development, ranging from seed dormancy (Fedak et al, 2016), seedling photomorphogenesis (Wang et al, 2014), root organogenesis (Ariel et al, 2014;Bardou et al, 2014), flowering time control and development (Conn et al, 2017;Heo and Sung, 2011;Kim and Sung, 2017;Swiezewski et al, 2009;Wu et al, 2018;Zhao et al, 2018), and reproduction (Wang et al, 2018;Zhou et al, 2021) to sexual dimorphism (Hisanaga et al, 2019). Studies have also implicated their roles in plant responses to environmental stimuli such as drought and salt stresses (Qin et al, 2017) and cold acclimation (Kindgren et al, 2018).…”