SlmiR482e-5p regulates tomato resistance to Phytophthora infestans infection along with slmiR482e-3p via sllncRNA39298-mediated inhibition.

SlmiR482e-3p is involved in tomato– Phytophthora infestans interactions. In this study, we evaluated the function of the complementary strand slmiR482e-5p. In transgenic plants slMIR482e , slmiR482e-3p, and slmiR482e-5p overexpression increased susceptibility to P. infestans infection, while slmiR482e-3p and slmiR482e-5p silencing increased resistance. Additionally, sllncRNA39298 inhibited slmiR482e-5p expression and increased resistance to P. infestans. Upon P. infestans infection, reactive oxygen species accumulation was higher in leaves overexpressing slMIR482e , slmiR482e-3p, and slmiR482e-5p and lower in sllncRNA39298-overexpressing leaves than in wild-type leaves. These results support the functional importance of complementary strand miRNAs and reveal the roles of slmiR482e-5p and sllncRNA39298 in tomato disease resistance. • miR482e-5p and miR482e-3p coordinately regulate tomato resistance to P. infestans. • lncRNA39298 enhances tomato resistance to P. infestans by decoying miR482e-5p. • miR482e-3p, miR482e-5p, and lncRNA39298 regulate ROS scavenging in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]