Affiliation:
1. College of Natural Resources and Environment & Root Biology Center, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
2. Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510316, China
3. Key Laboratory of Agricultural and Rural Pollution Control and Environmental Safety in Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510642, China
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate plant growth and development and plant responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Although extensive studies show that miR159 family members regulate leaf and flower development in Arabidopsis thaliana, the roles of miRNAs in soybean (Glycine max) are poorly understood. Here, we identified six MIR159 genes in soybean, MIR159a–MIR159f, and investigate their expression patterns in plants under low-phosphorus (low-P), NaCl, or abscisic acid (ABA) treatments. In soybean leaves, MIR159e and MIR159f expression was induced by low-P treatment, while in roots, MIR159b, MIR159c, MIR159e, and MIR159f expression was upregulated. In flowers, low-P led to upregulation of MIR159a, MIR159b, MIR159c, and MIR159f but downregulation of MIR159d and MIR159e. In soybean nodules, MIR159b was upregulated but MIR159a, MIR159c, and MIR159d was downregulated under P deficiency. NaCl treatment induced MIR159a, MIR159b, MIR159c, and MIR159e expression in leaves and MIR159a–MIR159f expression in roots. ABA treatment upregulated MIR159a, MIR159b, and MIR159c but downregulated MIR159d, MIR159e, and MIR159f in leaves. These results suggest that miR159 family members function in plant abiotic stress responses. Moreover, total P content in leaves was significantly lower in plants overexpressing MIR159e than in the wild type, suggesting that miR159e may regulate P absorption and transport in soybean plants.
Funder
Natural Science Foundation of China
Subject
Agronomy and Crop Science