Regulation Of Long Non-coding RNAs Responsive To Phytoplasma Infection In Paulownia Tomentosa

Paulownia witches' broom(Pa WB)disease is a contagious disease that caused by phytoplasma infection.Its incidence is high,and the infected Paulownia is characterized with witches' broom,etiolated and smaller leaves,short internodes and other symptoms,which even lead to the death of the whole plant.This disease has seriously affected the development of Paulownia,and hindered the development of Paulownia industry,but the pathogenesis of Paulownia witches' broom is still unclear.Lnc RNAs are a kind of non-coding RNAs commonly found in eukaryotes.They participate in many biological processes and play a major regulatory role in gene expression.In this study,RNA-seq technology was performed using healthy seedlings(PT),witches' broom seedlings(PTI),healthy seedlings(PT-60)and witches' broom seedlings(PTI-60)treated with methyl methanesulfonate(MMS),and healthy seedlings(PT-L100)and witches' broom seedlings(PTI-L100)treated with rifampicin of Paulownia tomentosa to compare and analyze the changes on the expression of lnc RNAs and genes in paulownia responsive to phytoplasma infection.By comparison analysis,lnc RNAs and target genes that related to Paulownia witches' broom disease were selected,function of these genes was analyzed by bioinformatics methods.This study provide a scientific basis for revealing the molecular mechanism of Paulownia witches' broom.The main results are as follows:(1)In this study,4472 lnc RNAs were identified,of which 265,62,61,78 and 69 differentially abundant lnc RNAs were detected in the PT vs PTI,PT vs PT-60,PTI vs PTI-60,PT vs PT-L100,and PTI vs PTI-L100 comparisons,respectively.Additionally,28 differentially expressed lnc RNAs were identified in the MMS reagent treatment alignment group and 39 differentially abundant lnc RNAs were identified in the rifampicin treatment group that may be associated with Paulownia witches' broom.By comparison,we finally found 12 lnc RNAs that may be related to the occurrence of Paulownia witches' broom.(2)A total of 2713 target genes were identified to correspond to 4472 lnc RNAs,of which 2145 were considered to be cis-regulatory genes targeted by 2625 lnc RNAs,and 568 genes were considered to be trans-regulated genes targeted by 670 lnc RNAs.Predicting and annotating the target genes of the lnc RNAs showed that these target genes focused on cell part,membrane part,organelles,catalytic activity,cellular processes,and metabolic processes.And these genes are mostly involved in RNA transport,Pentose phosphate pathway and Carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms and other metabolic pathways.(3)Annotating and analyzing genes associated with Pa WB disease showed that ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes(E2s)gene and leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases(LRR-RLKs)were related to plant pathogenic interaction.In addition,the raftos synthase(Ps RS)gene and transketolase(TK)gene involved in photosynthesis.The expression level of these genes were significantly differentially expressed,and may participate in defense system and photosynthetic reaction in Paulownia,which played a major regulatory role in the occurrence of Paulownia witches' broom.