Abstract
Remarkable progress has been made in elucidating important roles of plant non-coding RNAs. Among these RNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have gained widespread attention, especially their role in plant environmental stress responses. LncRNAs act at different levels of gene expression regulation, and one of these mechanisms is by recruitment of DNA methyltransferases or demethylases to regulate the target gene transcription. In this mini-review, we highlight the function of lncRNAs, including their potential role in RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM) silencing pathway and their potential function under abiotic stresses conditions. Moreover, we also present and discuss studies of lncRNAs in crops. Finally, we propose a path outlook for future research that may be important for plant breeding.
Highlights
In 1970, the central dogma of molecular biology was proposed, suggesting that the flow of information would follow the DNA to RNA to Protein (Crick, 1970)
We included the potential roles of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) on RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) silencing pathway, since many genes are methylated in response to abiotic stress
We briefly summarize recent examples of lncRNAs responsive to abiotic stresses in different plant species, with an emphasis on crop species, providing details of other mechanisms of action, in addition to the aforementioned epigenetic silencing via RNA-directed DNA Methylation (RdDM) (Table 1)
Summary
In 1970, the central dogma of molecular biology was proposed, suggesting that the flow of information would follow the DNA to RNA to Protein (Crick, 1970). We included the potential roles of lncRNAs on RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) silencing pathway, since many genes are methylated in response to abiotic stress.
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