Overexpression of lncRNA77580 Regulates Drought and Salinity Stress Responses in Soybean

Emerging evidence indicates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in diverse biological processes. However, the biological functions of most plant lncRNAs are still unknown. We previously discovered a soybean abiotic-stress-related lncRNA, lncRNA77580, and cloned the entire full-length sequence. Here, in order to fully identify the function of lncRNA77580 in soybean stress response, we created transgenic soybean lines overexpressing lncRNA77580. Compared with the wild type, overexpression of lncRNA77580 enhances the drought tolerance of soybean. However, the transgenic plants exhibit increased sensitivity to high salinity at the seedling stage. We found that lncRNA77580 modulates the transcription of different gene sets during salt and drought stress response. Under water deficit at the reproductive stage, lncRNA77580 overexpression increases the seed yield by increasing the seed number per plant. These results provide insight into the role of lncRNA77580 in soybean stress response.