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Helopeltis theivora or the tea mosquito bug (TMB) is reportedly one of the most devastating pests of tea plant (Camellia sinensis) causing threat to the beverage crop. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute a group of endogenous RNAs that play gene regulatory roles in eukaryotes. In the present study, 9502 lncRNAs were identified from healthy and TMB-infested C. sinensis tissues using high-throughput strand-specific RNA sequencing, out of which 80 lncRNAs got differentially expressed in response to TMB infestation. Determination of genes that could act as potential targets of lncRNAs revealed that the identified lncRNAs could possibly target as many as 5804 genes. Differential gene expression (DGE) analysis led to the identification of 3665 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which, the expression of 1767 genes got upregulated and 1898 genes got downregulated during tea plant's response to TMB. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis of DEGs and lncRNA-target genes have shown that TMB infestation might have triggered transcriptomic reprogramming leading to altered primary and secondary metabolism in C. sinensis. LncRNAs can act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to bind with common microRNA (miRNA) response elements (MREs) involving a competition between mRNAs and lncRNAs. We report 11 lncRNAs competing with 14 mRNAs to bind with 28 miRNAs forming the ceRNA network. The expression of 6 DEGs and 5 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) has been validated by qRT-PCR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a frequent complication associated with increased periprocedural mortality and morbidity after cardiac surgery. Our study aimed to identify the difference in exosomal miRNA and further explore its role in the diagnosis of POAF. First, the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were obtained by high-throughput RNA sequencing. Second, the DEMs target genes were put into gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis. Third, real-time quantification PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to verify the DEMs. Finally, we revealed 23 DEMs in POAF patients. Furthermore, analysis of gene function revealed that DEMs may affect atrial structure through many signaling pathways. We also found that miR-122-5p was up-regulated in POAF patients, but there are no significant changes in miR-191-5p, miR-181a-5p, miR-155-5p and miR-151a-5p. Our study revealed that exosomal miRNAs exert enormous potential in evaluating the severity or prognostic of POAF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Downy mildew caused by Hyaloperonospora brassicae is one of the most damaging diseases of Chinese cabbage. In this study, we analyzed genome-wide gene expression profiles of a resistant line 318R and a susceptible line 361S of Chinese cabbage in response to downy mildew infection by high throughput RNA sequencing technology. More transcripts were identified in H. brassicae infected samples in both lines, especially in the susceptible line 361S. A total of 2297 and 3338 differentially expressed genes were identified in 318R and 361S, respectively, which are mainly involved in the plant-pathogen interaction pathway, plant hormone signal transduction pathway, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites pathway. A total of 1284 genes were found to be differentially expressed in both lines, among which, 68 genes showed higher variation in the resistant line than in the susceptible line. These 68 genes, along with the 1012 genes that were only differentially expressed in the resistant line, were annotated to defense response genes, transcriptional factors, and cell wall related genes, which function in the plant-pathogen interaction pathway, protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum pathway, or metabolism pathways. These genes are important candidates for understanding the molecular mechanisms of host response to downy mildew. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerated root formation is necessary for successful cuttage in a number of woody plants, such as mulberry ( Morus alba L.). However, little information regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in this type of root formation is available. Here, we compared transcriptome changes during different root formation periods (0, 4, and 8 days) by conducting high-throughput sequencing to understand the molecular mechanisms of root formation in mulberry softwood cuttings. Approximately 88.2 million, 88.2 million, and 52.8 million transcriptome sequencing reads were obtained for the three time periods, 0, 4, and 8 days, respectively. These reads were then assembled into 61,687 (0 day), 61,651 (4 days), and 59,457 (8 days) contigs by utilizing the de novo method, and a large number of differentially expressed genes were identified at various developmental stages. These assembled contigs were annotated using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), as well as the simple sequence repeat (SSR). Mulberry had a complex response to adventitious rooting. Genes that might be associated with mulberry stem cutting root formation were also identified here. Furthermore, the reliability of the sequencing results was validated by performing quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). These results provide a comprehensive background of the molecular biology of mulberry development, in particular regarding its stem cutting root formation development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome-wide characterization of the Pohlia nutans transcriptome is essential for clarifying the role of stress-relevant genes in Antarctic moss adapting to the extreme polar environment. High-throughput Illumina sequencing was used to analyze the gene expression profile of P. nutans after cold treatment. A total of 93,488 unigenes, with an average length of 405 bp, were obtained. Gene annotation showed that 16,781 unigenes had significant similarity to known functional protein-coding genes, most of which were annotated using the GO, KOG and KEGG pathway databases. Global profiling of the differentially expressed genes revealed that 3,796 unigenes were significantly upregulated after cold treatment, while 1,405 unigenes were significantly downregulated. In addition, 816 receptor-like kinases and 1,309 transcription factors were identified from P. nutans. This overall survey of transcripts and stress-relevant genes can contribute to understanding the stress-resistance mechanism of Antarctic moss and will accelerate the practical exploitation of the genetic resources for this organism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]