Role of long non-coding RNA in regulatory network response to 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' in citrus

The goals of this study are to reveal the transcriptional and regulatory dynamics of the lncRNAs in response to CLas infection and provide a reference for a better understanding of the role of lncRNAs involved in citrus HLB regulation. For the purpose, we obtained RNA-seq-based differential expression profile of the leave midrib of CLas- and mock-inoculated rough lemon and sweet orange at week 0, 7, 17, and 34 following infections with three biological replicates in the greenhouse. Approximately 2,523 million paired-end reads from 48 sample libraries were produced using Illumina HiSeq 2000. we systematically identified lncRNAs from rough lemon and sweet orange at four different time points of a greenhouse experiment and characterized their genomic transcriptional and regulatory dynamics. We predicted their potential regulatory genes and functions and constructed a co-expression network. Our study provides precious information and expands the knowledge of citrus lncRNA against HLB disease. Overall design: mRNA profiles of the leave midrib of CLas- and mock-inoculated rough lemon and sweet orange at week 0, 7, 17, and 34.