scholarly journals Genome-Wide Identification and Comparative Profiling of MicroRNAs Reveal Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Two Contrasting Flower Color Cultivars of Tree Peony

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoning Luo ◽  
Sha Luo ◽  
Yaqi Fu ◽  
Chen Kong ◽  
Kai Wang ◽  
...  

MicroRNA (miRNA)-mediated gene regulation is involved in various physiological processes in plants. Flower color is one of the vital ornamental traits of tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.). However, the yellow-flowered tree peony cultivars are particularly rare. To elucidate the miRNA-mediated gene regulatory mechanism underlying yellow pigmentation in tree peony, we combined pigment assessment, miRNA identification, expression analysis, and gene functional verification in two contrasting flower color cultivars “High Noon” and “Roufurong.” Flavones/flavonols and anthocyanins were found to be the main contributors to the coloration of “High Noon” and “Roufurong” petals, respectively. Subsequently, miRNA analysis based on available genome data identified 9 differentially expressed miRNAs and 12 relevant target genes implicated in flavonoid biosynthesis. Their dynamic expression patterns determined the key role of mdm-miR156b-PsSPL2 module in yellow pigmentation of tree peony flowers. The sequence analysis and subcellular localization validated that PsSPL2 might function as a nuclear-localized transcription factor. Overexpression of PsSPL2 in tobacco resulted in a decrease of anthocyanin content and down-regulation of NtF3′H and NtDFR transcripts. PsSPL2-silenced petals exhibited lighter yellow color, and the contents of THC, Ap, and Ch decreased significantly. Meanwhile, expression levels of PsCHS, PsCHI, and PsF3H were significantly decreased in the petals with PsSPL2 silencing, while those of PsF3′H and PsDFR were remarkably increased. This study offers a novel insight into yellow pigmentation-related miRNA regulation network in tree peony, and further provides the valuable information on physiological changes during yellow coloring process of tree peony.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoning Luo ◽  
Daoyang Sun ◽  
Shu Wang ◽  
Sha Luo ◽  
Yaqi Fu ◽  
...  

AbstractTree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa Andr.) is a popular ornamental plant in China due to its showy and colorful flowers. However, yellow-colored flowers are rare in both wild species and domesticated cultivars. The molecular mechanisms underlying yellow pigmentation remain poorly understood. Here, petal tissues of two tree peony cultivars, “High Noon” (yellow flowers) and “Roufurong” (purple–red flowers), were sampled at five developmental stages (S1–S5) from early flower buds to full blooms. Five petal color indices (brightness, redness, yellowness, chroma, and hue angle) and the contents of ten different flavonoids were determined. Compared to “Roufurong,” which accumulated abundant anthocyanins at S3–S5, the yellow-colored “High Noon” displayed relatively higher contents of tetrahydroxychalcone (THC), flavones, and flavonols but no anthocyanin production. The contents of THC, flavones, and flavonols in “High Noon” peaked at S3 and dropped gradually as the flower bloomed, consistent with the color index patterns. Furthermore, RNA-seq analyses at S3 showed that structural genes such as PsC4Hs, PsDFRs, and PsUFGTs in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway were downregulated in “High Noon,” whereas most PsFLSs, PsF3Hs, and PsF3’Hs were upregulated. Five transcription factor (TF) genes related to flavonoid biosynthesis were also upregulated in “High Noon.” One of these TFs, PsMYB111, was overexpressed in tobacco, which led to increased flavonols but decreased anthocyanins. Dual-luciferase assays further confirmed that PsMYB111 upregulated PsFLS. These results improve our understanding of yellow pigmentation in tree peony and provide a guide for future molecular-assisted breeding experiments in tree peony with novel flower colors.


F1000Research ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Damodaran ◽  
Sajag Adhikari ◽  
Marie Turner ◽  
Senthil Subramanian

microRNA (miRNA) regulation is crucial to achieve precise spatio-temporal expression patterns of their target genes. This makes it crucial to determine the levels of cleavage of a particular target mRNA in different tissues and under different conditions. We developed a quantitative PCR method “quantitative Amplification of Cleaved Ends (qACE)” to assay levels of specific cleavage products in order to determine the extent of miRNA regulation for a specific target gene. qACE uses cDNA generated from adapter-ligated RNA molecules and relies on a carefully designed fusion primer that spans the adapter-cleaved RNA junction in qPCR to specifically amplify and quantify cleaved products. The levels of full-length transcripts can also be assayed in the same cDNA preparation using primers that span across the miRNA cleavage site. We used qACE to demonstrate that soybean roots over-expressing miR164 had increased levels of target cleavage and that miRNA deficient Arabidopsis thaliana hen1-1 mutants had reduced levels of target cleavage. We used qACE to discover that differential cleavage by miR164 in nodule vs. adjacent root tissue contributed to nodule-specific expression of NAC1 transcription factors in soybean. These experiments show that qACE can be used to discover and demonstrate differential cleavage by miRNAs to achieve specific spatio-temporal expression of target genes in plants.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Handa ◽  
Yuki Murakami ◽  
Rei Ishihara ◽  
Kei Kimura-Masuda ◽  
Yuta Masuda

Recently, attention has been drawn to the role of non-coding regions of the genome in cancer pathogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs with 19–25 bases of length that control gene expression by destroying messenger RNA or inhibiting its translation. In multiple myeloma (MM), the expression of several miRNAs, such as miR-15a and miR-16, is markedly decreased and their target genes upregulated, suggesting their role as tumor-suppressing miRNAs. In contrast, miRNAs such as miR-21 and miR-221 are highly expressed and function as oncogenes (oncomiRs). In addition, several miRNAs, such as those belonging to the miR-34 family, are transcriptional targets of p53 and mediate its tumor-suppressive functions. Many miRNAs are associated with drug resistance, and the modulation of their expression or activity might be explored to reverse it. Moreover, miRNA expression patterns in either MM cells or serum exosomes have been shown to be good prognostic markers. miRNA regulation mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Many miRNAs are epigenetically controlled by DNA methylation and histone modification, and others regulate the expression of epigenetic modifiers, indicating that miRNA and other epigenetic effectors are part of a network. In this review, we outlined the roles of miRNAs in MM and their potential to predict MM prognosis and develop novel therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3626
Author(s):  
Panayiota L. Papasavva ◽  
Nikoletta Y. Papaioannou ◽  
Petros Patsali ◽  
Ryo Kurita ◽  
Yukio Nakamura ◽  
...  

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs crucial for post-transcriptional and translational regulation of cellular and developmental pathways. The study of miRNAs in erythropoiesis elucidates underlying regulatory mechanisms and facilitates related diagnostic and therapy development. Here, we used DNA Nanoball (DNB) small RNA sequencing to comprehensively characterize miRNAs in human erythroid cell cultures. Based on primary human peripheral-blood-derived CD34+ (hCD34+) cells and two influential erythroid cell lines with adult and fetal hemoglobin expression patterns, HUDEP-2 and HUDEP-1, respectively, our study links differential miRNA expression to erythroid differentiation, cell type, and hemoglobin expression profile. Sequencing results validated by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) of selected miRNAs indicate shared differentiation signatures in primary and immortalized cells, characterized by reduced overall miRNA expression and reciprocal expression increases for individual lineage-specific miRNAs in late-stage erythropoiesis. Despite the high similarity of same-stage hCD34+ and HUDEP-2 cells, differential expression of several miRNAs highlighted informative discrepancies between both cell types. Moreover, a comparison between HUDEP-2 and HUDEP-1 cells displayed changes in miRNAs, transcription factors (TFs), target genes, and pathways associated with globin switching. In resulting TF-miRNA co-regulatory networks, major therapeutically relevant regulators of globin expression were targeted by many co-expressed miRNAs, outlining intricate combinatorial miRNA regulation of globin expression in erythroid cells.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick von Born ◽  
Ignacio Rubio-Somoza

AbstractDevelopment and fitness of any organism rely on properly controlled gene expression. This is especially true for plants, as their development is determined by both internal and external cues. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are embedded in the genetic cascades that integrate and translate those cues into developmental programs. miRNAs negatively regulate their target genes mainly post-transcriptionally through two co-existing mechanisms; mRNA cleavage and translational inhibition. It is unclear whether the efficiency of miRNA-guided regulation is generally influenced by factors like ambient temperature or developmental stage. Here we show that plant miRNA accumulation, as well as miRNAs’ mode of action can be temperature- and development-sensitive. Higher temperatures tend to induce a more pronounced accumulation of mature miRNAs. Both parameters have also an impact on the expression patterns of the core players involved in miRNA performance. We show that efficiency of miRNA-mediated gene silencing declines with age during vegetative development in a temperature-dependent manner. Co-existence of cleavage and translational inhibition was also found to be dependent on temperature and developmental stage. Therefore, each miRNA family specifically regulates their respective targets, while temperature and growth influence the performance of miRNA-dependent regulation in a more general way.


F1000Research ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 240
Author(s):  
Suresh Damodaran ◽  
Sajag Adhikari ◽  
Marie Turner ◽  
Senthil Subramanian

microRNA (miRNA) regulation is crucial to achieve precise spatio-temporal expression patterns of their target genes. This makes it crucial to determine the levels of cleavage of a particular target mRNA in different tissues and under different conditions. We developed a quantitative PCR method “quantitative Amplification of Cleaved Ends (qACE)” to assay levels of specific cleavage products in order to determine the extent of miRNA-directed target cleavage of a specific target gene. qACE uses cDNA generated from adapter-ligated RNA molecules and relies on a carefully designed fusion primer that spans the adapter-cleaved RNA junction in qPCR to specifically amplify and quantify cleaved products. The levels of full-length transcripts can also be assayed in the same cDNA preparation using primers that span across the miRNA cleavage site. We used qACE to demonstrate that soybean roots over-expressing miR164 had increased levels of target cleavage and that miRNA deficient Arabidopsis thaliana hen1-1 mutants had reduced levels of target cleavage. We used qACE to discover that differential cleavage by miR164 in nodule vs. adjacent root tissue contributed to nodule-specific expression of NAC1 transcription factors in soybean. These experiments show that qACE can be used to discover and demonstrate tissue-specific cleavage by miRNAs to achieve specific spatio-temporal expression of target genes in plants.


2016 ◽  
Vol 141 (6) ◽  
pp. 573-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjie Wang ◽  
Yeqing Chen ◽  
Man Yuan ◽  
Zeyun Xue ◽  
Qijiang Jin ◽  
...  

Sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an important aquatic ornamental plant which contains several diverse flower colors, but the underlying mechanisms of its flower coloration remain unclear. In this study, seven complementary DNA (cDNA) clones of genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis, including chalcone synthase (CHS), chalcone isomerase (CHI), flavanone 3-hydroxylase (F3H), flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (F3′H), flavonoid 3′,5′-hydroxylase (F3′5′H), dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), and anthocyanidin synthase (ANS), were isolated and characterized. Moreover, expression patterns of these seven genes and pigment profiles were investigated across four N. nucifera cultivars with different flower colors: Zhongguohongbeijing [ZGH (red)], Xinghuafen [XHF (pink)], Molingqiuse [MLQS (yellow)], and Zhufengcuiying [ZFCY (white)]. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that during flower development, transcripts of early biosynthetic genes (NnCHS, NnCHI, and NnF3H) were abundant at the early stage; noticeably, highest expression of NnCHI in MLQS probably induced abundant anthoxanthin synthesis and displayed yellow. Expression of late biosynthetic genes, especially NnDFR and NnANS, was generally consistent with change patterns of anthocyanins in ZGH and XHF, but NnF3′H was barely detectable in the pink cultivars. Meanwhile, negligible expression of NnDFR and NnANS was detected in MLQS and ZFCY, respectively, which blocked their colored anthocyanin biosynthesis. Spatial expression analysis revealed that most flavonoid biosynthetic genes were highly expressed in floral tissues, rather than leaves. These results suggest that in N. nucifera cultivars with different flower colors, flavonoid biosynthesis is differentially regulated by the expression of these flavonoid biosynthetic genes, among which, NnCHI, NnF3′H, NnDFR, and NnANS are supposed to be critical for pigment accumulation, and therefore, affect different flower coloration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 12191
Author(s):  
Wei ZHENG ◽  
Ziwei ZHANG ◽  
Xuefei YU ◽  
Tongtong XIE ◽  
Ning CHEN ◽  
...  

The WD40 transcription factor (TF) family is widespread in plants and plays important roles in plant growth and development, transcriptional regulation, and tolerance to abiotic stresses. WD40 TFs have been identified and characterized in a diverse series of plant species. However, little information is available on WD40 genes from D. longan. In this study, a total of 45 DlWD40 genes were identified from D. longan RNA-Seq data, and further analysed by bioinformatics tools. Also, the expression patterns of DlWD40 genes in roots and leaves, as well as responses to heat stress, were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We found that the 45 DlWD40 proteins, together with 80 WD40 proteins from Arabidopsis and Zea mays, could be categorized into six groups. Of these, the DlWD40-4 protein was highly homologous to Arabidopsis WDR5a, a protein participating in tolerance to abiotic stresses. Moreover, a total of 25 cis-acting elements, such as abiotic stress and flavonoid biosynthesis elements, were found in the promoters of DlWD40 genes. The DlWD40-33 gene is targeted by miR3627, which has been proposed to be involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Using qRT-PCR, ten of the 45 DlWD40 genes were demonstrated to have diverse expression patterns between roots and leaves, and these ten DlWD40 genes could also respond to varying durations of a 38 °C heat stress in roots and leaves. The results reported here will provide a basis for the further functional verification of DlWD40 genes in D. longan.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (8) ◽  
pp. 1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongli Liu ◽  
Beibei Su ◽  
Han Zhang ◽  
Jiaxin Gong ◽  
Boxiao Zhang ◽  
...  

Flavonols are important copigments that affect flower petal coloration. Flavonol synthase (FLS) catalyzes the conversion of dihydroflavonols to flavonols. In this study, we identified a FLS gene, MaFLS, expressed in petals of the ornamental monocot Muscari aucheri (grape hyacinth) and analyzed its spatial and temporal expression patterns. qRT-PCR analysis showed that MaFLS was predominantly expressed in the early stages of flower development. We next analyzed the in planta functions of MaFLS. Heterologous expression of MaFLS in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) resulted in a reduction in pigmentation in the petals, substantially inhibiting the expression of endogenous tobacco genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis (i.e., NtDFR, NtANS, and NtAN2) and upregulating the expression of NtFLS. The total anthocyanin content in the petals of the transformed tobacco plants was dramatically reduced, whereas the total flavonol content was increased. Our study suggests that MaFLS plays a key role in flavonol biosynthesis and flower coloration in grape hyacinth. Moreover, MaFLS may represent a new potential gene for molecular breeding of flower color modification and provide a basis for analyzing the effects of copigmentation on flower coloration in grape hyacinth.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-147
Author(s):  
Mina Zafarpiran ◽  
Roya Sharifi ◽  
Zeinab Shirvani-Farsani

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, and genetic factors play an important role in its susceptibility. The expressions of many inflammatory genes implicated in MS are regulated by microRNA (miRNAs), whose function is to suppress the translation by pairing with miRNA Recognition Elements (MREs) present in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of target mRNA. Recently, it has been shown that the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) present within the 3'UTR of mRNAs can affect the miRNA-mediated gene regulation and susceptibility to a variety of human diseases. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the SNPs within the 3'UTR of miRNA inflammatory target genes related to multiple sclerosis. Methods: By DisGeNET, dbGaP, Ovid, DAVID, Web of knowledge, and SNPs databases, 3'UTR genetic variants were identified in all inflammatory genes associated with MS. Also, miRNA's target prediction databases were used for predicting the miRNA binding sites. Results: We identified 125 SNPs with MAF>0.05 located in the binding site of the miRNA of 35 genes among 59 inflammatory genes related to MS. Bioinformatics analysis predicted 62 MRE-modulating SNPs and 59 MRE-creating SNPs in the 3'UTR of MSimplicated inflammatory genes. These candidate SNPs within miRNA binding sites of inflammatory genes can alter the miRNAs binding, and consequently lead to the mRNA gene regulation. Conclusion: Therefore, these miRNA and MRE-SNPs may play important roles in personalized medicine of MS, and hence, they would be valuable for further functional verification investigations.


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