Blocking miR530 Improves Rice Resistance, Yield, and Maturity

Abstract

MicroRNAs fine-tune plant growth and resistance against multiple biotic and abiotic stresses. The trade-off between biomass and resistance can penalize crop yield. In this study, we have shown that rice miR530 regulates blast disease resistance, yield, and growth period. While the overexpression of miR530 results in compromised blast disease resistance, reduced grain yield, and late maturity, blocking miR530 using a target mimic (MIM530) leads to enhanced resistance, increased grain yield, and early maturity. Further study revealed that the accumulation of miR530 was decreased in both leaves and panicles along with the increase of age. Such expression patterns were accordant with the enhanced resistance from seedlings to adult plants, and the grain development from panicle formation to fully-filled seeds. Divergence analysis of miR530 precursor with upstream 1,000-bp promoter sequence in 11 rice species revealed that miR530 was diverse in Oryza sativa japonica and O. sativa indica group, which was consistent with the different accumulation of miR530 in japonica accessions and indica accessions. Altogether, our results indicate that miR530 coordinates rice resistance, yield, and maturity, thus providing a potential regulatory module for breeding programs aiming to improve yield and disease resistance.

Transcriptomic Reprogramming, Alternative Splicing and RNA Methylation in Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) Plants in Response to Potato Virus Y Infection

“…We then selected miRNAs that are known to participate in stress response regulation in potato, based on the data from [ 66 ]. For example, binding sites for miR530 (MSTRG.15777.2), a known regulator of immune responses in plants [ 68 ] were found on 3 DE-lncRNAs. Two of these transcripts were upregulated under single heat stress ( Table S9 ).…”

An atlas of small RNAs from potato

“…We also found that some miRNAs have a significantly different accumulation in both cultivars, these include miR397‐3p, miR530, miR7122, miR170, and miR403. These miRNAs, which were more abundant in Desiree compared with Eva, have been found to be involved in plant responses to stress (Dong & Pei, 2014 ; Kohli et al, 2014 ; Li et al, 2021 ; Manacorda et al, 2021 ; Xia et al, 2013 ). Future research efforts would determine whether these miRNAs are responsible for some of the stress responsive differences between Desiree and Eva.…”

MicroRNA-mediated host defense mechanisms against pathogens and herbivores in rice: balancing gains from genetic resistance with trade-offs to productivity potential

“…Perturbation of Osa-miR530 enhances resistance to blast disease through its effects on H 2 O 2 accumulation. It is important to mention that blocking the Osa-miR530 also positively affects flowering and seed maturation [ 36 ]. The Osa-miR439a negatively affects immunity by inhibiting the expression of defense-related genes and H 2 O 2 production Suppression of the Osa-miR439a using target mimic mutants has been shown to compromise susceptibility to M. oryzae by induction of H 2 O 2 [ 34 ].…”

“…General observations indicate that miRNAs enhance the immunity to pathogens and herbivores with significant positive effects on yield maintenance in most cases. For example, the Osa-miR159, Osa-miR162, Osa-miR396 , Osa-miR530 , Osa-miR1432, and Osa-1871 have been shown to have positive effects on yield component traits even when the plant is challenged by pathogens [ 24 , 26 , 32 , 36 – 38 ]. For instance, the miRNA, Osa-miR156, fine-tunes resistance without significant penalty to yield, while Osa-miR1873 confers resistance with only a minor penalty to yield [ 23 , 39 ].…”

“…Similarly, blocking the expression of Osa-miR530 induces early flowering and seed maturation, with positive effects on grain number per panicle and grain weight. The underlying regulatory networks that balance yield-related processes and immunity is an area that is currently under investigation [ 36 ].…”