Circular RNAs are Associated with Floral Fate Acquisition in Soybean Shoot Apical Meristem

Abstract

Soybean (Glycine max), a major oilseed and protein source, requires a short-day photoperiod for floral induction. Though key transcription factors controlling flowering have been identified, the role of the non-coding (dark) genome is limited. circular RNAs (circRNAs) recently emerged as a novel class of RNAs with critical regulatory functions. However, a study on circRNAs during the floral transition of a crop plant is lacking. We investigated the expression and potential function of circRNAs in floral fate acquisition by soybean shoot apical meristem in response to short-day treatment. Using deep sequencing and in-silico analysis, we denoted 384 circRNAs, with 129 exhibiting short-day treatment-specific expression patterns. We also identified 38 circRNAs with predicted binding sites for miRNAs that could affect the expression of diverse downstream genes through the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network. Notably, four different circRNAs with potential binding sites for an important microRNA module regulating developmental phase transition in plants, miR156 and miR172, were identified. We also identified circRNAs arising from hormonal signaling pathway genes, especially abscisic acid, and auxin, suggesting an intricate network leading to floral transition. This study highlights the gene regulatory complexity during the vegetative to reproductive transition and paves the way to unlock floral transition in a crop plant.

Comparative analysis of bioinformatic tools to predict and quantify active circular RNAs during grape cluster development

“…During plant growth, miR156 is highly expressed, whereas miR172 is low expressed. As plants are ageing, miR156 expression decreases and miR172 expression increases, which results in a transition from vegetative to reproductive growth (Babaei et al 2023). The miR156 family controls the expression of genes of the squamosa promoter binding protein-like (SPL) genes related to stage transition and flowering time.…”