RBM25 Mediates Abiotic Responses in Plants.
Alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNAs is one of the most important post-transcriptional regulations that enable a single gene to code for multiple proteins resulting in the biodiversity of proteins in eukaryotes. Recently, we have shown that anArabidopsis thalianaRNA recognition motif-containing protein RBM25 is a novel splicing factor to modulate plant response to ABA during seed germination and post-germination through regulatingHAB1pre-mRNA AS. Here, we show thatRBM25is preferentially expressed in stomata and vascular tissues inArabidopsisand is induced by ABA and abiotic stresses. Loss-of-function mutant is highly tolerant to drought and sensitive to salt stress. Bioinformatic analysis and expression assays reveal thatArabidopsis RBM25is induced by multiple abiotic stresses, suggesting a crucial role ofRBM25inArabidopsisresponses to adverse environmental conditions. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive characterization of the homologous genes ofArabidopsis RBM25based on the latest plant genome sequences and public microarray databases. Fourteen homologous genes are identified in different plant species which show similar structure in gene and protein. Notably, the promoter analysis reveals thatRBM25homologs are likely controlled by the regulators involved in multiple plant growth and abiotic stresses, such as drought and unfavorable temperature. The comparative analysis of general and uniquecisregulatory elements of theRBM25homologs highlights the conserved and unique molecular processes that modulate plant response to abiotic stresses through RBM25-mediated alternative splicing.
Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesShijiazhuang, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China.
Chunhong
C
Cheng
State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan, China.
Zhijuan
Z
Wang
Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of SciencesShijiazhuang, China; University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing, China.
Bingjian
B
Yuan
State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Microbiology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan, China.
Xia
X
Li
Arabidopsis; RBM25; abiotic stresses; drought; splicing factor