Abstract
Nitrogen (N) is an essential nutrient for plant growth and development; therefore, N deficiency is a major limiting factor in crop production. Plants have evolved mechanisms to cope with N deficiency, and the role of protein-coding genes in these mechanisms has been well studied. In the last decades, regulatory non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), such as microRNAs (miRNAs), small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and long ncRNAs (lncRNAs), have emerged as important regulators of gene expression in diverse biological processes. Recent advances in technologies for transcriptome analysis have enabled identification of N-responsive ncRNAs on a genome-wide scale. Characterization of these ncRNAs is expected to improve our understanding of the gene regulatory mechanisms of N response. In this review, we highlight recent progress in identification and characterization of N-responsive ncRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana and several other plant species including maize, rice, and Populus.
Highlights
Plants require 17 essential elements (C, H, O, N, P, K, Mg, Ca, S, Cl, Fe, B, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Mo) to complete their life cycle [1]
The major sources of N are nitrate and ammonium, which are absorbed from the soil via nitrate transporters (NRTs) and ammonium transporters (AMTs), respectively [1]
Regulatory non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are further classified into small ncRNAs, and long ncRNAs [39]
Summary
Plants require 17 essential elements (C, H, O, N, P, K, Mg, Ca, S, Cl, Fe, B, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Mo) to complete their life cycle [1]. Plants optimize the activities of N absorption and assimilation in response to N availability in soils by regulating expression of genes involved in these processes. Repression of LR growth under severe N deficiency is caused by NRT1.1: NRT1.1 transports nitrate and auxin and facilitates shootward auxin movement in LRs, resulting in reduced auxin concentration in LR tips and repressed LR growth [21]. Despite these advances in research on plant response to N availability, we are still far from understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying complex spatiotemporal regulation of hundreds of genes in response to N availability. We summarize identification and characterization of N-responsive ncRNAs and discuss their importance in plant response to N availability
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