Abstract
Increasing evidence shows that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in developmental regulation and many other biological processes in plants. However, identification of lncRNAs in Pyrus betulifolia is limited compared with studies of functional gene expression. Using high-throughput sequencing technology, the transcriptome of P. betulifolia under drought stress was analyzed to identify lncRNAs. A total of 14,478 lncRNAs were identified, of which 251 were found to be drought-responsive. The putative target genes of these differentially expressed lncRNAs were significantly enriched in metabolic processes, organic substance metabolic processes, macromolecule metabolic processes, and heterocyclic compound binding. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction validation suggested that the results of the RNA sequencing data analysis were reliable. This study will provide genetic resources for pear breeding and provide reference to other pomological studies.
Highlights
With the development of next-generation sequencing, genome-wide identification of Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been conducted for some plants, including
The genome of the pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.) has been sequenced recently [1], but no systematic identification of lncRNAs and their responses to drought stress has been reported in P. betulifolia
Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) orthology based annotation system (KOBAS) software was used to test for statistical significance of the differentially expressed lncRNA putative target genes in KEGG
Summary
To improve crop performance and productivity in water-limited regions of the world, numerous studies have been conducted on drought-responsive transcriptomes and regulatory networks in several fruit trees, such as apple [3,4], cherry [5], grape [6,7], lychee [8], and pear [9]. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNA transcripts that do not encode proteins [10]. With the development of next-generation sequencing, genome-wide identification of lncRNAs has been conducted for some plants, including. The genome of the pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.) has been sequenced recently [1], but no systematic identification of lncRNAs and their responses to drought stress has been reported in P. betulifolia. Identification of drought-resistance lncRNA genes will be beneficial for pear breeding programs
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