Transcriptomic Profiles of Long Noncoding RNAs and Their Target Protein-Coding Genes Reveals Speciation Adaptation on the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau in <i>Orinus</i>
Qinyue Min,
Kaifeng Zheng,
Tao Liu,
Zitao Wang,
Xiuhua Xue,
Wanjie Li,
Yuping Liu,
Yanfen Zhang,
Feng Qiao,
Jinyuan Chen,
Xu Su,
Shengcheng Han
Affiliations
Qinyue Min
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Kaifeng Zheng
Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resources and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Tao Liu
School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Qinghai University of Science and Technology, Xining 810016, China
Zitao Wang
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Xiuhua Xue
Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resources and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Wanjie Li
Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resources and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Yuping Liu
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Yanfen Zhang
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Feng Qiao
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Jinyuan Chen
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Xu Su
Key Laboratory of Biodiversity Formation Mechanism and Comprehensive Utilization of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Qinghai Province, School of Life Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Xining 810008, China
Shengcheng Han
Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resources and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA molecules longer than 200 nt, which lack the ability to encode proteins and are involved in multifarious growth, development, and regulatory processes in plants and mammals. However, the environmental-regulated expression profiles of lncRNAs in Orinus that may associated with their adaptation on the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau (QTP) have never been characterized. Here, we utilized transcriptomic sequencing data of two Orinus species (O. thoroldii and O. kokonoricus) to identify 1624 lncRNAs, including 1119 intergenic lncRNAs, 200 antisense lncRNAs, five intronic lncRNAs, and 300 sense lncRNAs. In addition, the evolutionary relationships of Orinus lncRNAs showed limited sequence conservation among 39 species, which implied that Orinus-specific lncRNAs contribute to speciation adaptation evolution. Furthermore, considering the cis-regulation mechanism, from 286 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and their nearby protein coding genes (PCGs) between O. thoroldii and O. kokonoricus, 128 lncRNA-PCG pairs were obtained in O. thoroldii, whereas 92 lncRNA-PCG pairs were obtained in O. kokonoricus. In addition, a total of 19 lncRNA-PCG pairs in O. thoroldii and 14 lncRNA-PCG pairs in O. kokonoricus were found to participate in different biological processes, indicating that the different expression profiles of DElncRNAs between O. thoroldii and O. kokonoricus were associated with their adaptation at different elevations on the QTP. We also found several pairs of DElncRNA nearby transcription factors (TFs), indicating that these DElncRNAs regulate the expression of TFs to aid O. thoroldii in adapting to the environment. Therefore, this work systematically identified a series of lncRNAs in Orinus, laying the groundwork for further exploration into the biological function of Orinus in environmental adaptation.
