A working model for the rice pri-miR1850-NAT1850 module in balancing growth and cold response.
The Rice Cis-Natural Antisense Transcript NAT1850 of Pri-miR1850 Negatively Regulates Cold Tolerance by Repressing NPR3
Paper
2026
Plant Biotechnology Journal |
DOI
Background
Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) represent a large fraction of rice loci, yet their functions remain largely unexplored. This study characterizes a rice cis-NAT (NAT1850) that fully overlaps the primary miRNA pri-miR1850. Pri-miR1850 promotes NAT1850 accumulation, while NAT1850 represses pri-miR1850. The resulting double-stranded RNA produces a 21-nt siRNA, siR1850, which targets NPR3, a co-activator of WRKY76 that triggers DREB1B under cold stress. Both NAT1850 and siR1850 negatively regulate cold tolerance at seedling and booting stages, while also influencing nitrogen assimilation and yield through a distinct pathway, revealing a regulatory module balancing cold response and growth.
Key Findings
The rice cis-natural antisense transcript NAT1850 completely overlaps pri-miR1850 and forms a dsRNA that generates the siRNA siR1850. Pri-miR1850 promotes NAT1850 accumulation, whereas NAT1850 represses pri-miR1850 transcripts. siR1850, sharing 17 nt with miR1850.1, targets and represses NPR3, which interacts with WRKY76 and acts as a co-transcriptional activator to induce DREB1B under cold stress. Overexpression of NAT1850 or siR1850 reduces cold tolerance at both seedling and booting stages in an NPR3-dependent manner. Additionally, the NAT1850-siR1850 module regulates nitrogen assimilation and rice yield independently of miR1850.1-NPR3, highlighting a regulatory pathway that balances cold-stress tolerance and yield.
Contribution
Creative Biogene provided the pCAMBIA3301 vector used for overexpression and related constructs, supporting the generation of transgenic rice lines in this study.
Natural antisense transcripts (NATs) represent a large fraction of rice loci, yet their functions remain largely unexplored. This study characterizes a rice cis-NAT (NAT1850) that fully overlaps the primary miRNA pri-miR1850. Pri-miR1850 promotes NAT1850 accumulation, while NAT1850 represses pri-miR1850. The resulting double-stranded RNA produces a 21-nt siRNA, siR1850, which targets NPR3, a co-activator of WRKY76 that triggers DREB1B under cold stress. Both NAT1850 and siR1850 negatively regulate cold tolerance at seedling and booting stages, while also influencing nitrogen assimilation and yield through a distinct pathway, revealing a regulatory module balancing cold response and growth.
Key Findings
The rice cis-natural antisense transcript NAT1850 completely overlaps pri-miR1850 and forms a dsRNA that generates the siRNA siR1850. Pri-miR1850 promotes NAT1850 accumulation, whereas NAT1850 represses pri-miR1850 transcripts. siR1850, sharing 17 nt with miR1850.1, targets and represses NPR3, which interacts with WRKY76 and acts as a co-transcriptional activator to induce DREB1B under cold stress. Overexpression of NAT1850 or siR1850 reduces cold tolerance at both seedling and booting stages in an NPR3-dependent manner. Additionally, the NAT1850-siR1850 module regulates nitrogen assimilation and rice yield independently of miR1850.1-NPR3, highlighting a regulatory pathway that balances cold-stress tolerance and yield.
Contribution
Creative Biogene provided the pCAMBIA3301 vector used for overexpression and related constructs, supporting the generation of transgenic rice lines in this study.