Transcriptome-wide m6A methylation profile reveals regulatory networks in roots of barley under cadmium stress

第一作者：TingtingSu

通讯单位：浙江大学作物学

通讯作者：吴德志

背景介绍：Cadmium (Cd) pollutants restrict crop yield and food security in long-term agricultural activities. 

在长期农事活动中，镉污染严重制约了作物产量和食品安全。

提出问题：Crops have evolved adaptive strategies under Cd condition, however, the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of Cd-tolerant genes remains to be largely illustrated. 

在镉胁迫下作物已进化出适应性策略。然而，耐镉基因的转录调控机制在很大程度上有待阐明。

研究内容：In this study, barley roots were exposed to 5 μM CdCl2 for physiological response and transcriptome-wide m6A methylation profile. Cd stress inhibited root growth after 7 d Cd treatment, which is mainly associated with inhibited absorption of Mn. 

在该研究中，为获得生理反应和转录组范围内m6A甲基化图谱，将大麦的根系浸泡在5 μM的CdCl2中。镉处理7天后小麦根系的生长受到了抑制，这主要与Mn的吸收受到极大的抑制有关。

研究结果：After Cd treatment, 8151 significantly modified m6A sites and 3920 differentially expressed genes were identified. Transcriptome-wide m6A hypermethylation was widely induced by Cd stress and enriched near the stop codon and 3′ UTR regions. Among 435 m6A modified DEGs, 319 hypermethylated genes were up-regulated and 84 hypomethylated genes were down-regulated, respectively, indicating a positive correlation of m6A methylation and expression. But well-known Cd transporter genes (HvNramp5, HvIRT1, HvHMA3, etc.) were not modified by m6A methylation, except for ABC transporters. We further found key Cd-responding regulatory genes were positively modulated with m6A methylation, including MAPK, WRKY and MYB members. 

在镉处理后，鉴定出了8151个显著修饰的m6A位点和3920个差异表达基因。在镉胁迫下全转录组m6A高甲基化受到显著诱导，并富集到终止密码子和3′ 非编码区域附近。在435个m6A修饰差异基因中，319个高甲基化基因表达上调，84个甲基化基因表达下调，表明了m6A甲基化和基因表达呈正相关。但是除了ABC转运蛋白以外，镉转运因子（HvNramp5, HvIRT1, HvHMA3, etc.）没有被m6A甲基化修饰。我们进一步发现了m6A甲基化正向调控关键的镉响应调控基因，包括成员有MAPK、WRKY和MYB。

结论：This study proposed a transcriptional regulatory network of Cd stress response in barley roots, which may provide new insight into gene manipulation of controlling low Cd accumulation for crops.

该研究提出了大麦根部在镉胁迫下的转录调控网络，这为控制作物低浓度镉积累的基因操作提供新的看法。

原文链接：https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389421021087

作者介绍：**吴德志**

研究方向：主要从事作物种质资源评价与创新、作物抗逆分子机制、分子设计育种等研究，曾主讲本科生课程《植物生物技术》和《细胞生物学导论》、研究生课程《农业资源高效利用技术》

2012年博士毕业于浙江大学，

2013至2015年在日本冈山大学资源植物科学研究所Prof. Jian Feng Ma实验室从事博士后研究

2016年12月晋升为浙江大学副教授、博士生导师，曾担任浙江大学农学系副系主任

2021年10月以神农学者教授引进加盟湖南农业大学农学院Journal:

Journal of Hazardous Materials

Published date:  February 5, 2022