Identifying long non-coding RNAs involved in heat stress response during wheat pollen development
Saeid Babaei, Prem L. Bhalla, Mohan B. Singh
Abstract
Introduction: Wheat is a staple food crop for over one-third of the global population. However, the stability of wheat productivity is threatened by heat waves associated with climate change. Heat stress at the reproductive stage can result in pollen sterility and failure of grain development. Methods: This study used transcriptome data analysis to explore the specific expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in response to heat stress during pollen development in four wheat cultivars. Results and discussion: and in lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory networks. Gene ontology analysis predicted that target protein-coding genes of lncRNAs regulate various biological processes such as hormonal responses, protein modification and folding, response to stress, and biosynthetic and metabolic processes. We also noted some paired lncRNA/protein-coding gene modules and some lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory modules shared in two or more wheat cultivars. These modules were related to regulating plant responses to heat stress, such as heat-shock proteins and transcription factors, and protein domains, such as MADS-box, Myc-type, and Alpha crystallin/Hsp20 domain. Conclusion: Our results provide the basic knowledge and molecular resources for future functional studies investigating wheat reproductive development under heat stress.