The plant noncoding transcriptome: a versatile environmental sensor

Abstract

Plant noncoding RNA transcripts have gained increasing attention in recent years due to growing evidence that they can regulate developmental plasticity. In this review article, we comprehensively analyze the relationship between noncoding RNA transcripts in plants and their response to environmental cues. We first provide an overview of the various noncoding transcript types, including long and small RNAs, and how the environment modulates their performance. We then highlight the importance of noncoding RNA secondary structure for their molecular and biological functions. Finally, we discuss recent studies that have unveiled the functional significance of specific long noncoding transcripts and their molecular partners within ribonucleoprotein complexes during development and in response to biotic and abiotic stress. Overall, this review sheds light on the fascinating and complex relationship between dynamic noncoding transcription and plant environmental responses, and highlights the need for further research to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms and exploit the potential of noncoding transcripts for crop resilience in the context of global warming.

Update on functional analysis of long non-coding RNAs in common crops

“…To further annotate lncRNAs, their secondary structures will need to be explored at a higher resolution. New sources of lncRNAs were continually being identified and classified ( Chorostecki et al., 2023 ; Li C. et al, 2023 ; Mattick et al., 2023 ).…”

Sucrose-responsive osmoregulation of plant cell size by a long non-coding RNA

“…lncRNAs are versatile regulators of gene expression, functioning at different cellular levels often providing adaptive mechanisms to various stimuli (12). To date, only a handful of lncRNAs have been functionally characterized and implicated in aspects of plant development (13). In this study, we characterized a newly annotated lncRNA, CARMA (CANAR MODULATOR IN PROTOPHLOEM), which is located in the proximal promoter region of CANAR in Arabidopsis thaliana.…”

Biological Activity of Artificial Plant Peptides Corresponding to the Translational Products of Small ORFs in Primary miRNAs and Other Long “Non-Coding” RNAs

“…These RNAs are mostly transcribed in the nucleus with RNA polymerase II in an mRNA-like way. The mechanisms by which plant lncRNAs function are numerous, and some of them are better understood in animals [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Recent studies have shown that the short open reading frames (sORFs) of some plant lncRNAs encode functional small peptides (micropeptides) with a size of around 5 to 100 amino acids [ 10 , 12 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”