MADS-lncRNA天然反义转录本调控丹参开花的分子机制

Since much attention has been paid on the chemical and pharmacological research in the past decades, Salvia miltiorrhiza, as one of the most widely-used traditional Chinese medicinal herbs, is much less studied on its growth and development yet. A large number of natural antisense transcripts exist in plants. Based on analysis of multi-omic data, we identified two flowering time related genes SmMADS15/17. Their natural antisense transcripts SmMADS15/17-AS are a class of lncRNAs. More interestingly, SmMADS15/17-AS can generate miRNAs which in turn specifically guide SmMADS15/17 mRNA cleavage. In this work, we will make an intensive research on the regulatory roles of SmMADS15/17 and SmMADS15/17-AS in S. miltiorrhiza flowering network. It is mainly focused on functional analysis of SmMADS15/17 and SmMADS15/17-AS by transgenic S. miltiorrhiza, differential expression of small RNAs and genes in transgenic plants by RNA-seq and small RNA sequencing. This work will not only provide basic theoretical framework for the molecular breeding of elite S. miltiorrhiza varieties, but also facilitate the basic gene function and mechanism research on other tranditional important Chinese herbs.

作为我国常用的大宗药材之一，丹参已具备良好的化学和药理基础，但人们对其生长发育的调控机制还知之甚少。最近的研究发现，植物体内存在大量的天然反义转录本。本课题组基于多组学数据的整合分析，鉴定得到两个丹参开花调控相关基因SmMADS15/17，其天然反义转录本SmMADS15/17-AS是一组lncRNA。有意思的是，SmMADS15/17-AS还可产生miRNA，反过来调控SmMADS15/17的表达。在此基础上，本项目拟通过着重利用转基因丹参验证SmMADS15/17、SmMADS15/17-AS的功能，RNA-seq和小RNA测序分析转基因丹参中差异表达的基因和小RNA等步骤，阐明SmMADS15/17通过miRNA介导的方式参与丹参开花调控的分子机制。本项目将有助于从分子生物学水平揭示丹参开花的调控机理，为新品种选育打下坚实的理论基础。

作为我国常用的大宗药材之一，丹参已具备良好的化学和药理基础，但人们对其生长发育的调控机制还知之甚少。本课题组基于全基因组水平系统鉴定了丹参miRNA和phasiRNA及其靶基因，鉴定得到两个丹参开花调控相关基因SmMADS15/17，其天然反义转录本SmMADS15/17-AS是一组lncRNA。SmMADS15/17-AS还可产生miRNA，反过来调控SmMADS15/17的表达。随后，构建植物表达载体获得转SmMADS15基因丹参，引起SOC1和FT基因表达下调，为后续阐明SmMADS15/17通过miRNA介导的方式参与丹参开花调控的分子机制打下坚实的理论基础。