Regulatory networks of circRNAs associated with protein modification in the morphogenesis of Populus euphratica Oliv. leaf shape

Noncoding RNAs and protein post-translational modifications (PTM) play an important role in plant development. To investigate the role of PTM-associated circRNAs in the morphogenesis of Populus euphratica Oliver heteromorphic leaves, we analyzed four heteromorphic leaves of P. euphratica using miRNA-seq and RNA-seq. According to the sequencing results and the ceRNA hypothesis, the circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory relationships existing in the morphogenesis P. euphratica heteromorphic leaves were established. Then they were enriched GO analysis based on the function of the targets of circRNAs. It was found that 17 circRNAs modulated PTM by antagonizing 51 miRNAs in P. euphratica, and these RNAs could co-regulate the occurrence of P. euphratica heteromorphic leaves through mainly protein phosphorylation modification and protein panning regulating.