科学家利用Videometer多光谱成像系统在期刊“International Journal of Biological Macromolecules”发表了题为“”MicroRNAs involved in the trans-kingdom gene regulation in the interaction of maize kernels and Fusarium verticillioides”，这是利用该设备发表的植物病害表型成像的文章之一。

摘要

玉米穗腐病是一种广泛分布的病害，主要病原体是轮枝镰刀菌。植物 microRNAs （miRNAs） 对抗病性有很大影响，据报道玉米 miRNA 参与玉米穗腐病的防御反应。然而，玉米和 F. verticillioides 之间 miRNAs 的跨界调控仍未表征。本研究研究了轮枝镰刀菌 miRNA 样 RNA （milRNAs） 与致病性之间的关系，然后对接种后玉米和轮枝镰刀菌的 miRNA 谱和靶基因进行 sRNA 分析和降解组测序。研究发现，milRNA 生物发生通过敲除轮枝镰刀菌中 FvDicer2 编码的 Dicer 样蛋白，正向调节轮枝镰刀菌的致病性。接种轮枝镰刀菌后，在玉米中获得 284 个已知 miRNA 和 6571 个新 miRNA，其中包括 28 个在多个时间点差异表达的 miRNA。轮枝镰刀菌中差异表达 miRNAs 的靶基因介导了多种途径，包括自噬和 MAPK 信号通路。预测 51 个新型轮枝镰刀菌 milRNAs 靶向玉米中的 333 个基因，这些基因涉及 MAPK 信号通路、植物激素信号转导和植物-病原菌相互作用通路。此外，玉米中的 miR528b-5p 靶向 FvTTP 的 mRNA，该 mRNA 在 F. verticillioides 中编码双跨膜蛋白。FvTTP 敲除突变体表现出致病性降低和伏马菌素合成减少。因此，通过干扰 FvTTP 的翻译，miR528b-5p 抑制了轮枝镰刀菌感染。这些发现表明 miR528 在抵抗轮枝镰刀菌中具有新的功能感染。本研究中鉴定的 miRNA 及其推定的靶基因可用于进一步阐明 microRNA 在植物病原体相互作用中的跨界功能。

关键词：轮枝镰刀菌，玉米穗腐病，跨界，MicroRNA miR528

MicroRNAs involved in the trans-kingdom gene regulation in the interaction of maize kernels and Fusarium verticillioides

Abstract

Maize ear rot is a widespread disease and the main pathogen is Fusarium verticillioides. Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) have great effects on disease resistance and it has been reported that maize miRNA participates in defense responses in maize ear rot. However, the trans-kingdom regulation of miRNAs between maize and F. verticillioides remains uncharacterized. In this study, the relationship between miRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) of F. verticillioides and pathogenicity was investigated, followed by sRNA analysis and degradome sequencing of miRNA profiles and the target genes of maize and F. verticillioides after inoculation. It was found that the milRNA biogenesis positively regulated the pathogenicity of F. verticillioides by knocking out the gene FvDicer2-encoded Dicer-like protein in F. verticillioides. Following inoculation with F. verticillioides, 284 known and 6571 novel miRNAs were obtained in maize, including 28 miRNAs differentially expressed at multiple time points. The target genes of maize differentially expressed miRNAs in F. verticillioides mediated multiple pathways, including autophagy and MAPK signaling pathway. Fifty-one novel F. verticillioides milRNAs were predicted to target 333 genes in maize involved in MAPK signaling pathways, plant hormone signaling transduction and plant-pathogen interaction pathways. Additionally, the miR528b-5p in maize targeted the mRNA of FvTTP which encoded a twice transmembrane protein in F. verticillioides. The FvTTP-knockout mutants displayed decreased pathogenicity and reduced synthesis of fumonisins. Thus, by interfering with the translation of FvTTP, the miR528b-5p inhibited F. verticillioides infection. These findings suggested a novel function of miR528 in resisting F. verticillioides

infection. The miRNAs identified in this research and their putative target genes can be used to further elucidate the trans-kingdom functions of microRNAs in plant pathogen interaction.

Keywords: MicroRNA Fusarium verticillioides Maize ear rot Trans-kingdom miR528