Noncoding-RNA-Mediated Regulation in Response to Macronutrient Stress in Plants

Abstract

Macronutrient elements including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) are required in relatively large and steady amounts for plant growth and development. Deficient or excessive supply of macronutrients from external environments may trigger a series of plant responses at phenotypic and molecular levels during the entire life cycle. Among the intertwined molecular networks underlying plant responses to macronutrient stress, noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), mainly microRNAs (miRNAs) and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), may serve as pivotal regulators for the coordination between nutrient supply and plant demand, while the responsive ncRNA-target module and the interactive mechanism vary among elements and species. Towards a comprehensive identification and functional characterization of nutrient-responsive ncRNAs and their downstream molecules, high-throughput sequencing has produced massive omics data for comparative expression profiling as a first step. In this review, we highlight the recent findings of ncRNA-mediated regulation in response to macronutrient stress, with special emphasis on the large-scale sequencing efforts for screening out candidate nutrient-responsive ncRNAs in plants, and discuss potential improvements in theoretical study to provide better guidance for crop breeding practices.

Keywords: circular RNA; long noncoding RNA; macronutrient; microRNA; omics data.

Figure 1

The miRNA-mediated regulatory network for plant responses to macronutrient stress. The miRNAs in the yellow, purple, blue, green, and orange circles are involved in response to stress of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulfur (S), and calcium (Ca), respectively. Notably, miR827 is responsive to both N and P stresses, while miR444a is responsive to N, P, and K stresses. The dotted line refers to the putative relation between miRNA and its target based on their opposite expression changes. The target genes of nutrient-responsive miRNAs are mainly involved in nutrient transport and signal transduction.