title: Abiotic stresses affect differently the intron splicing and expression of chloroplast genes in coffee plants (Coffea arabica) and rice (Oryza sativa).
abstract: Despite the increasing understanding of the regulation of chloroplast gene expression in plants, the importance of intron splicing and processing of chloroplast RNA transcripts under stress conditions is largely unknown. Here, to understand how abiotic stresses affect the intron splicing and expression patterns of chloroplast genes in dicots and monocots, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of the intron splicing and expression patterns of chloroplast genes in the coffee plant (Coffea arabica) as a dicot and rice (Oryza sativa) as a monocot under abiotic stresses, including drought, cold, or combined drought and heat stresses. The photosynthetic activity of both coffee plants and rice seedlings was significantly reduced under all stress conditions tested. Analysis of the transcript levels of chloroplast genes revealed that the splicing of tRNAs and mRNAs in coffee plants and rice seedlings were significantly affected by abiotic stresses. Notably, abiotic stresses affected differently the splicing of chloroplast tRNAs and mRNAs in coffee plants and rice seedlings. The transcript levels of most chloroplast genes were markedly downregulated in both coffee plants and rice seedlings upon stress treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that coffee and rice plants respond to abiotic stresses via regulating the intron splicing and expression of different sets of chloroplast genes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea; Institute of Environment and Biotechnology, Taynguyen University, 567 Le Duan Street, Buon Ma Thuot City, Daklak Province, Viet Nam.
authors.forename: Sy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nguyen Dinh
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Than Zaw Tun
authors.initials: TZT
authors.lastname: Sai
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ghazala
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nawaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kwanuk
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: hskang@jnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hunseung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D040503:Coffea / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D055864:Droughts; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D061125:Genes, Chloroplast; D017343:Genes, Plant; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics*; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D012326:RNA Splicing / Q000235:genetics*; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D036226:Seedlings / Q000235:genetics; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D002734:Chlorophyll; D012343:RNA, Transfer
keywords: Abiotic stress; Chloroplast; Coffee plant; Gene expression; Intron splicing; Rice