基于转录组测序分析沉默番茄中RNA结合蛋白基因SlRBP1对其光合作用的影响

Investigating the impact of silencing an RNA-binding protein gene SlRBP1 on tomato photosynthesis through RNA-sequencing analysis

摘要:

植物的光合作用直接影响有机物的合成与积累，是农作物产量的直接影响因素。RNA结合蛋白(RNA-binding proteins, RBPs)参与调控植物的多种生理功能，而RBPs在光合作用中的功能尚未被明确阐述。为了探究番茄中一个甘氨酸富集的RNA结合蛋白(glycine-rich RNA-binding proteins, SlRBP1)对植物光合作用的影响，使用人工小RNA干扰的方式通过植物组织培养获得Alisa Craig中稳定遗传的SlRBP1沉默植株，发现番茄果实体积缩小，叶片显著黄化。通过叶绿素含量测定、叶绿素荧光成像及叶绿体透射电镜观察，发现番茄amiR-SlRBP1沉默植株叶片的叶绿体形态结构破坏，叶绿素含量显著降低。对同时期的野生型和amiR-SlRBP1沉默植株测定光合速率，发现amiR-SlRBP1沉默植株的光合速率显著降低。RNA-seq数据分析表明沉默SlRBP1显著降低植株中PsaE、PsaL、PsbY等光合作用相关基因的表达量，通过光合作用影响番茄果实产量。

Abstract:

Photosynthesis in plants directly affects the synthesis and accumulation of organic matter, which directly influences crop yield. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are involved in the regulation of a variety of physiological functions in plants, while the functions of RBPs in photosynthesis have not been clearly elucidated. To investigate the effect of a glycine-rich RNA-binding protein (SlRBP1) in tomato on plant photosynthesis, a stably inherited SlRBP1 silenced plant in Alisa Craig was obtained by plant tissue culture using artificial small RNA interference. It turns out that the size of the tomato fruit was reduced and leaves significantly turned yellow. Chlorophyll(Chl) content measurement, Chl fluorescence imaging and chloroplast transmission electron microscopy revealed that the chloroplast morphology and structure of the leaves of tomato amiR-SlRBP1 silenced plants were disrupted, and the chlorophyll content was significantly reduced. Measurement of photosynthesis rate of wild-type and amiR-SlRBP1 silenced plants in the same period demonstrated that the photosynthetic rate of these plants was significantly reduced, and analysis of RNA-seq data indicated that silencing of SlRBP1 significantly reduced the expression of photosynthesis-related genes, such as PsaE, PsaL, and PsbY, and affected the yield of tomato fruits through photosynthesis.