How JLM-Lifetech's qPCR and Seed Phenotyping Tools Assisted SICAU's Nature Study on Rice Immunity
Recently, in the prestigious international journal Nature, a research team led by Professor Xuewei Chen from Sichuan Agricultural University published a groundbreaking study. For the first time, it uncovered a novel cross-kingdom "molecular espionage" mechanism mediated by long non‑coding RNA (lncRNA) between pathogens and rice. Titled A pathogen lncRNA secreted into rice sequesters a host miRNA for virulence, this research provides new strategies for broad‑spectrum disease‑resistant breeding and green disease control in crops.
Journal: Nature
Research team: Xuewei Chen’s team, Sichuan Agricultural University
Original article link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10572-x
Traditionally, pathogens were believed to mainly attack crops by secreting protein or microRNA effectors. The study by Chen’s team broke this understanding: the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae secretes a long non‑coding RNA named lnc117761, which acts like a Trojan horse and stealthily enters rice cells.
Inside rice cells, miR5827 serves as an "immune guardian". It precisely represses the expression of PKR1—an "immune brake" gene—thus maintaining rice in a disease‑resistant state. However, the invading fungal lnc117761 binds and sequesters miR5827 via base complementarity, disabling its function. Freed from suppression, PKR1 is highly expressed, causing the rice immune defense to collapse completely and allowing successful infection by the blast fungus.
This study is the first to prove that long non‑coding RNAs also possess cross‑kingdom transport and regulatory capabilities, representing a conceptual breakthrough in animal and plant disease research. Excitingly, this "RNA espionage" mode is widespread in interactions between various pathogens (including rice blast, sheath blight and Fusarium head blight pathogens) and their host crops. It lays a theoretical foundation for developing innovative "RNA disinfectants" targeting pathogenic RNAs or "boosters" enhancing crop immune miRNAs. Such RNA‑based green biological agents are expected to reduce fungal infection rates with environmental friendliness, representing a key direction for future crop protection.
Mechanistic Model of M. oryzae lnc117761 and Rice miR5827 Regulating Biological Interactions
During the research, the team used JLM-Lifetech real‑time fluorescent quantitative PCR system and automatic seed analyzer, which provided critical data support for the publication.
This system delivered high‑precision quantitative data for verifying the virulence function of lnc117761, detecting its cross‑kingdom translocation inside host cells, and profiling the dynamic expression of miR5827/PKR1. It served as key technical support to reveal the "RNA spy" mechanism.
The team applied JLM-Lifetech automatic seed analyzer to measure rice grain length, grain width and 1000‑grain weight, providing robust phenotypic data to evaluate how gene regulation affects rice growth, development and yield‑related traits.
