Convergent antisense transcription primes hosting genes for stress responsiveness in plants
Zacharaki, Vasiliki (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Nardeli, Sarah Muniz (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Meena, Shiv Kumar (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Monte Collado, Elena (Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica)
Kindgren, Peter (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	Plants need to constantly surveil their surroundings to adapt to environmental fluctuations, which they achieve primarily through transcriptional reprogramming. Thus, plants are excellent models for identifying novel transcriptional regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we characterize the regulation mediated by long non-coding transcription that initiates on the complementary strand in the 5ʹ end of coding genes (convergent antisense transcription, CASt). In Arabidopsis, CASt is associated with stress-responsive genes that are highly expressed. Our analysis shows that CASt depends on a specific gene architecture that is evolutionarily conserved in higher plants. CASt is present in genes with an extended first intron and over-represented in genes encoding functional transporters in Arabidopsis, such as the AMINO ACID PERMEASE (AAP) transporter family. Experimental evidence points to a role for CASt in priming their host genes for stress responsiveness in evolutionary divergent plant species. Furthermore, we were able to predict stress responsiveness in rice AAP genes based on the presence of a long first intron and CASt. Collectively, we show an evolutionary strategy and regulatory mechanism specific to plants for enhancing stress responsiveness through modification of gene architecture and antisense transcription.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2021-122288NB-I00 Generalitat de Catalunya 2021/SGR-00792 Agencia Estatal de Investigación CEX2019-000902-S European Commission 945043
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Arabidopsis ; Antisense transcription ; Cold acclimation ; Transporters
Published in:	Molecular plant, Vol. 18, Num. 11 (November 2025) , p. 1920-1931, ISSN 1674-2052

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2025.10.001

12 p, 2.2 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CRAG (Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles