Genome-Wide Identification of lncRNAs During Rice Seed Development
Juan Zhao, Abolore Adijat Ajadi, Yifeng Wang, Xiaohong Tong, Huimei Wang, Liqun Tang, Zhiyong Li, Yazhou Shu, Xixi Liu, Shufan Li, Shuang Wang, Wanning Liu and Jian Zhang*
Genes
,?2020, 11(3), 243
10.3390/genes11030243
Abstract
Rice seed is a pivotal reproductive organ that directly determines yield and quality. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recognized as key regulators in plant development, but the roles of lncRNAs in rice seed development remain unclear. In this study, we performed a paired-end RNA sequencing in samples of rice pistils and seeds at three and seven days after pollination (DAP) respectively. A total of 540 lncRNAs were obtained, among which 482 lncRNAs had significantly different expression patterns during seed development. Results from semi-qPCR conducted on 15 randomly selected differentially expressed lncRNAs suggested high reliability of the transcriptomic data. RNA interference of TCONS_00023703, which is predominantly transcribed in developing seeds, significantly reduced grain length and thousand-grain weight. These results expanded the dataset of lncRNA in rice and enhanced our understanding of the biological functions of lncRNAs in rice seed development