College of Horticulture Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, People's Republic of China.
State Key Laboratory of Crop Biology, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, People's Republic of China.
BMC Genomics. 2017 Dec 2;18(1):938. doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-4347-5.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression of target mRNAs involved in plant growth, development, and abiotic stress. As one of the most important model plants, peach (Prunus persica) has high agricultural significance and nutritional values. It is well adapted to be cultivated in greenhouse in which some auxiliary conditions like temperature, humidity, and UVB etc. are needed to ensure the fruit quality. However, little is known about the genomic information of P. persica under UVB supplement. Transcriptome and expression profiling data for this species are therefore important resources to better understand the biological mechanism of seed development, formation and plant adaptation to environmental change. Using a high-throughput miRNA sequencing, followed by qRT-PCR tests and physiological properties determination, we identified the responsive-miRNAs under low-dose UVB treatment and described the expression pattern and putative function of related miRNAs and target genes in chlorophyll and carbohydrate metabolism.
A total of 164 known peach miRNAs belonging to 59 miRNA families and 109 putative novel miRNAs were identified. Some of these miRNAs were highly conserved in at least four other plant species. In total, 1794 and 1983 target genes for known and novel miRNAs were predicted, respectively. The differential expression profiles of miRNAs between the control and UVB-supplement group showed that UVB-responsive miRNAs were mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism and signal transduction. UVB supplement stimulated peach to synthesize more chlorophyll and sugars, which was verified by qRT-PCR tests of related target genes and metabolites' content measurement.
The high-throughput sequencing data provided the most comprehensive miRNAs resource available for peach study. Our results identified a series of differentially expressed miRNAs/target genes that were predicted to be low-dose UVB-responsive. The correlation between transcriptional profiles and metabolites contents in UVB supplement groups gave novel clues for the regulatory mechanism of miRNAs in Prunus. Low-dose UVB supplement could increase the chlorophyll and sugar (sorbitol) contents via miRNA-target genes and therefore improve the fruit quality in protected cultivation of peaches.
微小 RNA（miRNA）是一种小的非编码 RNA，可以调节参与植物生长、发育和非生物胁迫的靶 mRNA 的基因表达。作为最重要的模式植物之一，桃（Prunus persica）具有很高的农业意义和营养价值。它非常适应在温室中种植，在温室中需要一些辅助条件，如温度、湿度和 UVB 等，以确保果实的质量。然而，人们对 UVB 补充下的 P. persica 基因组信息知之甚少。因此，该物种的转录组和表达谱数据是更好地理解种子发育、形成和植物适应环境变化的生物学机制的重要资源。通过高通量 miRNA 测序，随后进行 qRT-PCR 测试和生理特性测定，我们确定了低剂量 UVB 处理下的响应 miRNA，并描述了与叶绿素和碳水化合物代谢相关的 miRNA 和靶基因的表达模式和可能的功能。
共鉴定出 164 个已知的桃 miRNA，属于 59 个 miRNA 家族和 109 个推定的新 miRNA。其中一些 miRNA 在至少其他四种植物中高度保守。总共预测了已知和新 miRNA 的 1794 和 1983 个靶基因。miRNA 在对照组和 UVB 补充组之间的差异表达谱表明，UVB 响应 miRNA 主要参与碳水化合物代谢和信号转导。UVB 补充刺激桃合成更多的叶绿素和糖，这通过相关靶基因的 qRT-PCR 测试和代谢物含量的测量得到了验证。
高通量测序数据为桃的研究提供了最全面的 miRNA 资源。我们的结果鉴定了一系列预测为低剂量 UVB 响应的差异表达 miRNA/靶基因。UVB 补充组的转录谱和代谢物含量之间的相关性为 miRNA 在李属植物中的调控机制提供了新的线索。低剂量 UVB 补充可以通过 miRNA-靶基因增加叶绿素和糖（山梨醇）的含量，从而提高温室种植桃的果实品质。
