Bioinformatics insights into microRNA mediated gene regulation in Triticum aestivum during multiple fungal diseases

Autor: T S Krishna, Manickavelu Alagu, Minu M. Nair
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: Plant Gene. 21:100219
ISSN: 2352-4073
DOI: 10.1016/j.plgene.2019.100219
Popis: MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding RNAs known for their vital role in post transcriptional gene regulation during growth, development, and stress responses. Several miRNAs have been reported as regulators of plant-pathogen interaction. Recent studies have identified a number of miRNAs that play important roles in common wheat upon fungal invasion. But the existence of any common miRNA mediated pathways that act for multiple wheat-fungal diseases (based on infection types) was not known. This study aims to check whether any miRNAs are acting in common for wheat upon biotrophic and hemi biotrophic fungal infections. miRNAs were obtained from miRBase database and wheat ESTs were retrieved from Komugy wheat database. Wheat miRNAs and targets were predicted and functionally annotated using computational approaches. We identified and comparatively analysed miRNAs and their targets in resistant and susceptible hosts of common wheat in response to powdery mildew, leaf rust and blast diseases. We identified miRNAs from eighteen families in response to these fungal infections and observed that their functionality strongly depends on the specificity of hosts. In addition to target multiplicity, selective gene targeting by multiple miRNAs of different families was observed. This may point out the importance of regulating these targets in hosts, at specific conditions. Selective gene targeting might be established as one of the tight gene regulatory mechanisms in plants, similar to co-functional miRNAs reported in animals. Investigation of miRNA responses preferred by different hosts revealed that miRNAs enhance plant resistance in resistant hosts and attenuate immune responses in susceptible hosts. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the foremost report on comparative analysis of miRNA mediated gene regulation in wheat during multiple fungal diseases. It also indicates the possibility of co-functional miRNAs in plants.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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