Zhou Hao-Ran, Qian Feng, Du Jin-Lu, Lin Juncheng, Liu Zhen-Zhen, Yuan Dan-Yang, Huang Huan-Wei, Cai Tao, Li Lin, Chen She, Li Qingshun Quinn, He Xin-Jian
National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing 102206, China.
Synthetic Biology Center, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002, China.
Plant Physiol. 2025 Apr 30;198(1). doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf189.
Seed germination is a critical developmental stage in the lifecycle of plants, and its regulation is essential for ensuring crop productivity, particularly under adverse environmental conditions. Here, we find that the Arabidopsis thaliana Pre-mRNA PROCESSING FACTOR 21 (PRP21) is crucial for regulating the abscisic acid (ABA) response and seed germination. Our RNA deep sequencing and poly(A) tag sequencing analyses reveal that PRP21 is involved in pre-mRNA splicing, genome-wide gene expression, and mRNA 3' end processing, highlighting its multifunctional role in gene regulation. Furthermore, PRP21 interacts with various splicing factors and small nuclear ribonucleoproteins, confirming its involvement in spliceosome assembly. Additionally, we demonstrate that PRP21 negatively regulates the expression of ABA-responsive genes, such as ABA INSENSITIVE 3 (ABI3), ABA INSENSITIVE 5 (ABI5), EARLY METHIONINE-LABELED 1 (EM1), and EM6, thereby modulating ABA response and seed germination. Our findings underscore the importance of PRP21 in coordinating transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes and provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying seed germination, potentially guiding crop improvement for stress tolerance.
种子萌发是植物生命周期中的一个关键发育阶段，其调控对于确保作物产量至关重要，尤其是在不利的环境条件下。在这里，我们发现拟南芥前体mRNA加工因子21（PRP21）对于调节脱落酸（ABA）反应和种子萌发至关重要。我们的RNA深度测序和聚腺苷酸标签测序分析表明，PRP21参与前体mRNA剪接、全基因组基因表达和mRNA 3'末端加工，突出了其在基因调控中的多功能作用。此外，PRP21与各种剪接因子和小核核糖核蛋白相互作用，证实了其参与剪接体组装。此外，我们证明PRP21负调控ABA反应基因的表达，如ABA不敏感3（ABI3）、ABA不敏感5（ABI5）、早期甲硫氨酸标记1（EM1）和EM6，从而调节ABA反应和种子萌发。我们的研究结果强调了PRP21在协调转录和转录后过程中的重要性，并为种子萌发的分子机制提供了见解，可能指导作物抗逆性的改良。
