The splicing factor UAP1 exhibits a conserved function in cold stress responses among three dicotyledonous species
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Cold stress is a major environmental factor limiting the productivity and geographical distribution of horticultural crops. Here, we identified the spliceosome U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP-associated protein 1 (UAP1) as a pivotal negative regulator of cold tolerance in both tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and soybean (Glycine max). Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing, we generated UAP1 knockout orthologs in three dicotyledonous species: tomato, soybean and Arabidopsis. The sluap1 and gmuap1 mutants exhibited significantly enhanced cold resilience, characterized by reduced membrane damage, lower reactive oxygen species accumulation, and higher survival rates after cold stress. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism, we further characterized the uap1 mutants in Arabidopsis, which similarly displayed a cold-tolerant phenotype. Transcriptome-wide analysis revealed that the loss of AtUAP1 results in widespread differential alternative splicing under cold stress. Notably, we identified a critical intron retention event in the circadian clock gene AtPRR3, leading to a truncated, non-functional protein. Genetic evidence confirmed that atprr3 mutants mimic the cold-tolerant phenotype of atuap1, and heterologous expression of SlUAP1 or GmUAP1 effectively rescued the atuap1 mutant, demonstrating high functional conservation. Our findings establish the UAP1-mediated splicing module as a conserved thermoregulatory mechanism across diverse species and position UAP1 as a promising universal target for the biotechnological improvement of cold resilience in horticultural and field crops.
ORGANISM(S): Arabidopsis thaliana
PROVIDER: GSE343067 | GEO | 2026/08/09
REPOSITORIES: GEO
ACCESS DATA