RNA G-quadruplex structure contributes to cold adaptation in plants

Area of Science:

• Plant biology
• Genomics
• Molecular biology

Background:

• Nucleotide composition influences gene function and ecological adaptation.
• The biological mechanisms linking nucleotide composition to environmental adaptation are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between plant nucleotide composition and environmental adaptation.
• To explore the role of RNA G-quadruplex structures in plant cold tolerance.

Main Methods:

• Systematic analysis of plant transcriptome nucleotide composition across diverse habitats.
• Immunofluorescence detection and in vivo structure profiling to assess RNA G-quadruplex formation.
• Assessing the impact of RNA G-quadruplex disruption on mRNA stability and plant response to cold.

Main Results:

• Plants in cold climates exhibit guanine-enriched transcriptomes.
• Cold temperatures globally enhance RNA G-quadruplex formation in plants.
• RNA G-quadruplexes primarily increase mRNA stability, not translation, in response to cold.
• Disrupting RNA G-quadruplexes leads to mRNA decay and impaired cold response.

Conclusions:

• Plants utilize RNA G-quadruplex structures as a molecular mechanism for cold adaptation.
• Guanine-rich RNA structures are crucial for maintaining mRNA stability in cold environments.
• RNA G-quadruplex formation is an evolved trait facilitating plant survival in cold climates.