A novel antisense long non‐coding RNA participates in asexual and sexual reproduction by regulating the expression of GzmetE in Fusarium graminearum

Abstract

Fusarium graminearum is an important worldwide pathogen that causes Fusarium head blight in wheat, barley, maize and other grains. LncRNAs play important roles in many biological processes, but little is known about their functions and mechanisms in filamentous fungi. Here, we report that a natural antisense RNA, GzmetE-AS, is transcribed from the opposite strand of GzmetE. GzmetE encodes a homoserine O-acetyltransferase, which is important for sexual development and plant infection. The expression of GzmetE-AS was increased significantly during the conidiation stage, while GzmetE was upregulated in the late stage of sexual reproduction. Overexpression of GzmetE-AS inhibited the transcription of GzmetE. In contrast, the expression of GzmetE was significantly increased in GzmetE-AS transcription termination strain GzmetE-AS-T. Furthermore, GzmetE-AS-T produced more perithecia and facilitated the ascospore discharge, resembling the phenotype of GzmetE overexpressing strains. However, overexpression of GzmetE-AS in Δdcl1/2 strain cannot inhibit the expression of GzmetE, and the GzmetE nat-siRNA is also significantly reduced in Δdcl1/2 mutant. Taken together, we have identified a novel antisense lncRNA GzmetE-AS, which is involved in asexual and sexual reproduction by regulating its antisense gene GzmetE through RNAi pathway. Our findings reveal that the lncRNA plays critical roles in the development of F. graminearum.

Transcriptional Landscapes of Long Non-coding RNAs and Alternative Splicing in Pyricularia oryzae Revealed by RNA-Seq

“…Several studies reported its significant roles in gene regulation. For instance, lncRNAs were important in the development of F. graminearum ( Kim et al, 2018 ; Wang et al, 2021 ). LncRNA profiles during infection and development of Ustilaginoidea virens were elucidated ( Tang et al, 2021 ).…”

Genome-wide Profiling of Long Non-coding RNA of the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae During Infection

“…Therefore, the prediction of lncRNA function depends on target gene prediction. Functional characterization o ncRNAs has revealed that both cis-and trans-actinglncRNAs have roles in gene regulation [21,25]. However, previous fungal lncRNA pro ling studies considered only cis-acting lncRNAs [29,30].…”

“…LncRNA RZE1 regulates zinc nger transcription factor ZNF2 and affects the yeast-to-hypha transition in the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans [22]. LncRNAs have also been reported to play roles in vegetative growth (ncRNA1), metabolic processes (carP), asexual/sexual reproduction (GzmetE-AS), and pathogenicity (as-um02151) in plant pathogenic fungi [23][24][25][26]. While genome-wide pro ling of lncRNAs has been performed in some fungi during vegetative growth and sexual development, the pro ling of lncRNAs associated with the infection process of plant pathogenic fungi is generally incomplete and has only been studied in the rice smut fungus Ustilaginoidea virens [27][28][29][30].…”

lncRsp1, a long noncoding RNA, influences Fgsp1 expression and sexual reproduction in Fusarium graminearum

“…In recent years, several studies have identified or predicted the lncRNAs involved in the growth and development of filamentous fungi such as Neurospora crassa (Arthanari et al, 2014 ; Cemel et al, 2017 ), Ustilago maydis (Donaldson & Saville, 2013 ; Ostrowski & Saville, 2017 ), Fusarium graminearum (Kim et al, 2018 ; Wang et al, 2021 ), Trichoderma reesei (Till, Pucher, et al, 2018 ), and Ustilaginoidea virens (Tang et al, 2021 ). However, there are only a few surveys regarding the functional identification of lncRNAs in filamentous fungi.…”

“…The lncRNA HAX1 interacts with a transcriptional activator Xylanase regulator 1 ( Xyr1 ), interferes with the negative feedback regulatory loop of Xyr1 , and ultimately promotes cellulase expression and activity in T. reesei (Till, Mach, et al, 2018 ; Till, Pucher, et al, 2018 ). Our recent studies suggest that a novel antisense lncRNA, GzmetE‐AS , is involved in asexual and sexual reproduction by regulating its antisense gene GzmetE through the RNAi pathway in F. graminearum (Wang et al, 2021 ). These data reveal that lncRNAs also play important regulatory roles in filamentous fungi.…”