Spatiotemporal regulation of target mRNA cleavage by 21-nt phasiRNAs in maize anthers

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Lian, Bi; Huang, Tianxiao; Huang, Wei; Jiang, Pengfei; Jin, Weiwei; Qi, Yijun
• 署名单位: Tsinghua University; China Agricultural University; Anhui Agricultural University; Peking University; Tsinghua University; Tsinghua University
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-9422
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2422647122
• 发表日期: 2025-06-17
• 关键词: mirna targets; sirna; gene; seq

摘要

21-nt phasiRNAs are abundantly expressed in anthers and play crucial roles in anther development and male reproduction in grasses. In maize, the target genes that 21-nt phasiRNAs regulate remain largely unknown. Here, we show that 21-nt phasiRNAs direct the cleavage of hundreds of target mRNAs in maize. Interestingly, while 21-nt phasiRNAs in anthers (somatic anther wall cells) do not have obvious preference for a particular nucleotide at the 5 ' end and target genes implicated in stress response and cellular homeostasis, 21-nt phasiRNAs in male germ cells preferentially initiate with 5 ' C and target genes related to meiotic processes in a ZmAGO5c-dependent manner. Our results indicate that mRNA cleavage is a conserved mechanism used by 21-nt phasiRNAs for gene regulation in grasses. However, the sequences of 21-nt phasiRNAs and their targets show little conservation in maize and rice, suggesting that 21PHAS loci and 21-nt phasiRNA targets have undergone fast divergence in grasses.