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. 2024 Mar 14;13(3):183.
doi: 10.3390/biology13030183.

Identification and Characterisation of the CircRNAs Involved in the Regulation of Leaf Colour in Quercus mongolica

Yangchen Yuan  1   2 , Xinbo Pang  2 , Jiushuai Pang  2 , Qian Wang  1 , Miaomiao Zhou  2 , Yan Lu  2 , Chenyang Xu  2 , Dazhuang Huang  1
Affiliations

Identification and Characterisation of the CircRNAs Involved in the Regulation of Leaf Colour in Quercus mongolica

Yangchen Yuan et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are important regulatory molecules involved in various biological processes. However, the potential function of circRNAs in the turning red process of Quercus mongolica leaves is unclear. This study used RNA-seq data to identify 6228 circRNAs in leaf samples from four different developmental stages and showed that 88 circRNAs were differentially expressed. A correlation analysis was performed between anthocyanins and the circRNAs. A total of 16 circRNAs that may be involved in regulating the colour of Mongolian oak leaves were identified. CircRNAs may affect the colour of Q. mongolica leaves by regulating auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, ethylene, and abscisic acid. This study revealed the potential role of circRNAs in the colour change of Q. mongolica leaves.

Keywords: Quercus mongolica; anthocyanin; circRNA; hormones; leaf colour.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Q. mongolica phenotypes during the four developmental stages: young leaf stage (S1), green leaf stage (S2), colour change stage (S3), and red leaf stage (S4).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in the (a) leaf colour parameters, (b) chlorophyll contents, (c) carotenoid content, (d) anthocyanin content, and (e) five hormone contents of Q. mongolica. Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences between the groups (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Statistical analysis of the identified circRNAs and the differentially expressed circRNAs (DECs) in S1, S2, S3, and S4. (a) The proportions of the various types of circular RNAs. (b) Venn diagram analysis of the DECs in S1–S4, S2–S4, and S3–S4. (c) The number of upregulated and downregulated DECs in each comparison.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Heatmap of the correlations between the 5 hormones and 16 DECs. * Indicates significant correlation (p < 0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Validation of Q. mongolica (a) RNA-seq data and qRT-PCR results through (b) comparisons of the log2 gene expression ratios between the RNA-seq and qRT-PCR results, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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