Co-expression network of heat-response transcripts: A glimpse into how splicing factors impact rice basal thermotolerance

Author(s)

Boulanger, Hadrien Georges ; Guo, Wenbin ; Rebocho Monteiro, Lucca de Filipe ; Calixto, Cristiane Paula Gomes

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES; v. 10, p. 10-pg., 2023-02-02.

Abstract

To identify novel solutions to improve rice yield under rising temperatures, molecular components of thermotolerance must be better understood. Alternative splicing (AS) is a major post-transcriptional mechanism impacting plant tolerance against stresses, including heat stress (HS). AS is largely regulated by splicing factors (SFs) and recent studies have shown their involvement in temperature response. However, little is known about the splicing networks between SFs and AS transcripts in the HS response. To expand this knowledge, we constructed a co-expression network based on a publicly available RNA-seq dataset that explored rice basal thermotolerance over a time-course. Our analyses suggest that the HS-dependent control of the abundance of specific transcripts coding for SFs might explain the widespread, coordinated, complex, and delicate AS regulation of critical genes during a plant's inherent response to extreme temperatures. AS changes in these critical genes might affect many aspects of plant biology, from organellar functions to cell death, providing relevant regulatory candidates for future functional studies of basal thermotolerance. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/13158-8 - Transcriptome-wide analysis of rice temperature memory and heat responses
• Grantee: Cristiane Paula Gomes Calixto
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
• FAPESP's process: 22/02633-0 - In silico functional analysis and construction of CRISPR/Cas9 knockout-allowing plasmid for rice (Oryza sativa L.) heat stress-responsive gene Telomere Repeat-Binding Factor 1
• Grantee: Lucca de Filipe Rebocho Monteiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation