Genome wide Identification and characterization of potato long intergenic noncoding RNAs responsive to Pectobacterium carotovorum subspecies brasiliense 1692 infection
L. MOLELEKI (1), S. Kwenda (1) (1) University of Pretoria, South Africa

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a class of RNA molecules that are implicated in regulation of gene expression, both in mammals and plants. While much progress has been made in determining the biological functions of lncRNAs in mammals, the functional roles of lncRNAs in plants are still poorly understood. Specifically, the roles of long intergenic nocoding RNAs (lincRNAs) in plant defence responses are yet to be fully explored. Here, we used strand-specific RNA sequencing to identify 1113 lincRNAs in potato (Solanum tuberosum) from stem tissues. The lincRNAs are expressed from all 12 potato chromosomes and generally smaller in size compared to protein-coding genes. Like in other plants, most potato lincRNAs possess single exons. A time-course RNA-seq analysis between a tolerant and susceptible potato cultivar challenged with Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. brasilience1692 revealed that 151 of these lincRNAs could be associated with defence response to this pathogen. These results suggest that lincRNAs have potential functional roles in potato defence responses. This work provides the first library of potato

Abstract Number: P11-372
Session Type: Poster