Long Non-Coding RNAs of Plants in Response to Abiotic Stresses and Their Regulating Roles in Promoting Environmental Adaption

Abiotic stresses triggered by climate change and human activity cause substantial agricultural and environmental problems which hamper plant growth. Plants have evolved sophisticated mechanisms in response to abiotic stresses, such as stress perception, epigenetic modification, and regulation of transcription and translation. Over the past decade, a large body of literature has revealed the various regulatory roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the plant response to abiotic stresses and their irreplaceable functions in environmental adaptation. LncRNAs are recognized as a class of ncRNAs that are longer than 200 nucleotides, influencing a variety of biological processes. In this review, we mainly focused on the recent progress of plant lncRNAs, outlining their features, evolution, and functions of plant lncRNAs in response to drought, low or high temperature, salt, and heavy metal stress. The approaches to characterize the function of lncRNAs and the mechanisms of how they regulate plant responses to abiotic stresses were further reviewed. Moreover, we discuss the accumulating discoveries regarding the biological functions of lncRNAs on plant stress memory as well. The present review provides updated information and directions for us to characterize the potential functions of lncRNAs in abiotic stresses in the future.

Automated summary

Abiotic stresses caused by climate change and human activity have significant impacts on agriculture and the environment, affecting plant growth. Plants have developed sophisticated mechanisms to respond to these stresses, including stress perception, epigenetic modification, and regulation of transcription and translation. Recent studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important regulatory roles in plant responses to abiotic stresses and are crucial for environmental adaptation. This review focuses on the features, evolution, and functions of plant lncRNAs in response to drought, temperature extremes, salt, and heavy metal stress. It also discusses the methods used to characterize lncRNA function and the mechanisms by which they regulate plant responses to abiotic stresses. Additionally, the review summarizes the emerging understanding of the biological functions of lncRNAs in plant stress memory. The information provided in this review will guide future research on the potential functions of lncRNAs in abiotic stresses.