Identification of herbivore-elicited long non-coding RNAs in rice.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in plants are emerging as new players in biotic stress responses. Pathogen-associated lncRNAs have been broadly identified and functionally characterized in multiple species. However, herbivore-responsive lncRNAs in plants are poorly investigated. Our recent study revealed that lncRNAs also play roles in plant defense against herbivores in wild tobacco. Here, we identified armyworm (AW)-elicited lncRNAs in monocot rice by employing a similar approach. A total of 238 lncRNAs were found to be differentially expressed (DE) in AW-treated plants relative to control plants. The cis effect of these DE lncRNAs was predicted. Interestingly, one DE lncRNA was identified from the antisense transcripts of the jasmonate ZIM-domain gene JAZ10.