Overexpression of lncRNA77580 Regulates Drought and Salinity Stress Responses in Soybean

Abstract

Emerging evidence indicates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in diverse biological processes. However, the biological functions of most plant lncRNAs are still unknown. We previously discovered a soybean abiotic-stress-related lncRNA, <i>lncRNA77580</i>, and cloned the entire full-length sequence. Here, in order to fully identify the function of <i>lncRNA77580</i> in soybean stress response, we created transgenic soybean lines overexpressing <i>lncRNA77580</i>. Compared with the wild type, overexpression of <i>lncRNA77580</i> enhances the drought tolerance of soybean. However, the transgenic plants exhibit increased sensitivity to high salinity at the seedling stage. We found that <i>lncRNA77580</i> modulates the transcription of different gene sets during salt and drought stress response. Under water deficit at the reproductive stage, <i>lncRNA77580</i> overexpression increases the seed yield by increasing the seed number per plant. These results provide insight into the role of <i>lncRNA77580</i> in soybean stress response.