National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, China.
Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Dec 14;21(24):9506. doi: 10.3390/ijms21249506.
MicroRNAs are important regulators in plant developmental processes and stress responses. In this study, we generated a series of maize STTM166 transgenic plants. Knock-down of miR166 resulted in various morphological changes, including rolled leaves, enhanced abiotic stress resistance, inferior yield-related traits, vascular pattern and epidermis structures, tassel architecture, as well as abscisic acid (ABA) level elevation and indole acetic acid (IAA) level reduction in maize. To profile miR166 regulated genes, we performed RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analysis. A total of 178 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, including 118 up-regulated and 60 down-regulated genes. These DEGs were strongly enriched in cell and intercellular components, cell membrane system components, oxidoreductase activity, single organism metabolic process, carbohydrate metabolic process, and oxidation reduction process. These results indicated that miR166 plays important roles in auxin and ABA interaction in monocots, yet the specific mechanism may differ from dicots. The enhanced abiotic stress resistance is partly caused via rolling leaves, high ABA content, modulated vascular structure, and the potential changes of cell membrane structure. The inferior yield-related traits and late flowering are partly controlled by the decreased IAA content, the interplay of miR166 with other miRNAs and AGOs. Taken together, the present study uncovered novel functions of miR166 in maize, and provide insights on applying short tandem target mimics (STTM) technology in plant breeding.
MicroRNAs 是植物发育过程和应激反应的重要调节因子。在本研究中,我们生成了一系列玉米 STTM166 转基因植物。miR166 的敲低导致了各种形态变化,包括叶片卷曲、增强非生物胁迫抗性、产量相关性状下降、叶脉模式和表皮结构、雄穗结构以及玉米中脱落酸 (ABA) 水平升高和吲哚乙酸 (IAA) 水平降低。为了分析 miR166 调控的基因,我们进行了 RNA-seq 和 qRT-PCR 分析。共鉴定出 178 个差异表达基因 (DEGs),包括 118 个上调基因和 60 个下调基因。这些 DEGs 强烈富集在细胞和细胞间成分、细胞膜系统成分、氧化还原酶活性、单个生物体代谢过程、碳水化合物代谢过程和氧化还原过程中。这些结果表明,miR166 在单子叶植物中生长素和 ABA 相互作用中发挥重要作用,但具体机制可能与双子叶植物不同。增强的非生物胁迫抗性部分是通过叶片卷曲、高 ABA 含量、调节叶脉结构以及细胞膜结构的潜在变化来实现的。产量相关性状下降和开花晚部分是由 IAA 含量降低、miR166 与其他 miRNAs 和 AGOs 的相互作用控制的。总之,本研究揭示了 miR166 在玉米中的新功能,并为应用短串联靶标模拟物 (STTM) 技术进行植物育种提供了新的思路。