Research progress on plant noncoding RNAs in response to low-temperature stress

Area of Science:

• Plant molecular biology
• Genetics and genomics
• Environmental stress response

Background:

• Low temperature (LT) significantly limits plant growth and survival.
• Plants possess intricate adaptive mechanisms to tolerate hypothermia.
• RNA silencing, mediated by noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), is a crucial cellular response to environmental stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the biogenesis and function of ncRNAs in plant cold acclimation.
• To elucidate the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in plant cold resistance.
• To discuss specific molecular mechanisms of ncRNAs in model plants and crops.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of studies on ncRNAs and cold stress in plants.
• Analysis of gene expression data from microarray and transcriptome sequencing.
• Verification of miRNA cold-response patterns using Northern blotting and quantitative PCR.
• Detailed examination of molecular pathways involving specific miRNAs and lncRNAs.

Main Results:

• Small ncRNAs (miRNAs, siRNAs) and lncRNAs are central to plant cold acclimation.
• Cold-responsive miRNAs and lncRNAs regulate gene expression via posttranscriptional and transcriptional gene silencing.
• Specific miRNAs (e.g., miR397, miR408 in Arabidopsis; Osa-miR156 in rice) and lncRNA SVALKA play vital roles in cold resistance.
• Numerous cold-responsive miRNAs have been identified in various plant species.

Conclusions:

• RNA silencing pathways are critical for plant adaptation to low temperatures.
• Understanding the precise roles of ncRNAs in cold signaling is essential for improving crop resilience.
• Further research is needed to fully unravel the complexities of small ncRNAs in plant cold signal transduction.