Identification and validation of Asteraceae miRNAs by the expressed sequence tag analysis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA molecules that play a vital role in the regulation of gene expression. Despite their identification in hundreds of plant species, few miRNAs have been identified in the Asteraceae, a large family that comprises approximately one tenth of all flowering plants. In this study, we used the expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis to identify potential conserved miRNAs and their putative target genes in the Asteraceae. We applied quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) to confirm the expression of eight potential miRNAs in Carthamus tinctorius and Helianthus annuus. We also performed qRT-PCR analysis to investigate the differential expression pattern of five newly identified miRNAs during five different cotyledon growth stages in safflower. Using these methods, we successfully identified and characterized 151 potentially conserved miRNAs, belonging to 26 miRNA families, in 11 genus of Asteraceae. EST analysis predicted that the newly identified conserved Asteraceae miRNAs target 130 total protein-coding ESTs in sunflower and safflower, as well as 433 additional target genes in other plant species. We experimentally confirmed the existence of seven predicted miRNAs, (miR156, miR159, miR160, miR162, miR166, miR396, and miR398) in safflower and sunflower seedlings. We also observed that five out of eight miRNAs are differentially expressed during cotyledon development. Our results indicate that miRNAs may be involved in the regulation of gene expression during seed germination and the formation of the cotyledons in the Asteraceae. The findings of this study might ultimately help in the understanding of miRNA-mediated gene regulation in important crop species.     

Conservation and divergence in plant microRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression in eukaryotic cells. The past decade has seen an explosion in our understanding of the sets of miRNA genes encoded in the genomes in different species of plants and the mechanisms by which miRNAs interact with target RNAs. A subset of miRNA families (and their binding sites in target RNAs) are conserved between angiosperms and basal plants, suggesting they predate the divergence of existing lineages of plants. However, the majority of miRNA families expressed by any given plant species have a narrow phylogenetic distribution. As a group, these "young" miRNAs genes appear to be evolutionarily fluid and lack clearly understood biological function. The goal of this review is to summarize our understanding of the sets of miRNA genes and miRNA targets that exist in various plant species and to discuss hypotheses that explain the patterns of conservation and divergence observed among microRNAs in plants.     

植物microRNA的保守性及其分布的分析

MicroRNA(miRNA)是真核生物中具有重要调控作用的小分子非编码RNA。本文对miRNA官网miRBase数据库Release 22.1中隶属于植物界的绿藻门、苔藓植物门、蕨类植物门、裸子植物门、被子植物门共计82个物种的miRNA进行了统计分析。miRBase共收录植物miRNA 前体8 615个,成熟miRNA 10 414条,隶属于2 892个miRNA家族。绿藻门miRNA与其他4个门miRNA无同源性;对其他4个门植物miRNA的保守性进行研究,发现存在于2个植物门的miRNA家族有26个,属于中度保守miRNA家族;14个miRNA家族存在于3个及3个以上植物门中,属于高度保守miRNA家族,其中7个miRNA家族系苔藓、蕨类、裸子和被子植物共有,是植物中最保守的miRNA。分析表明,超过30个miRNA家族的植物有35种。进一步对40个中度或者高度保守miRNA在35种植物中的分布进行研究,发现miRNA家族及其成员在物种间的分布存在较大的差异。这些分布上的差异一方面反映不同植物中miRNA的研究深度不同,另一方面也反映出miRNA在植物进化过程中的适应性调整。研究不同植物中miRNA家族的分布,可在miRNA水平为植物早期进化同源性的研究提供分子依据。     

Computational identification of citrus microRNAs and target analysis in citrus expressed sequence tags

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new family of small RNA molecules found in plants and animals. We developed a comprehensive strategy for identifying new miRNA homologues by mining the repository of available citrus expressed sequence tags (ESTs). By adopting a range of filtering criteria, we identified a total of 38 potential miRNAs--nine, five, nine and 15 miRNAs in Citrus trifoliata (ctr-miRNAs), C. clementina (ccl-miRNAs), C. reticulata (crt-miRNAs) and C. sinensis (csi-miRNAs), respectively--from more than 430,000 EST sequences in citrus. Using the potential miRNA sequences, we conducted a further BLAST search of the mRNA database and found six potential target genes in these citrus species. Eight miRNAs were selected in order to verify their existence in citrus using Northern blotting, and the functions of several miRNAs in miRNA-mediated gene regulation are experimentally suggested. It appears that all these miRNAs regulate expression of their target genes by cleavage, which is the most common situation in gene regulation mediated by plant miRNAs. Our achievement in identifying new miRNAs in citrus provides a powerful incentive for further studies on the important roles of these miRNAs.     

植物microRNA的保守性及其分布的分析

MicroRNA(miRNA)是真核生物中具有重要调控作用的小分子非编码RNA。本文对miRNA官网miRBase数据库Release 22.1中隶属于植物界的绿藻门、苔藓植物门、蕨类植物门、裸子植物门、被子植物门共计82个物种的miRNA进行了统计分析。miRBase共收录植物miRNA 前体8 615个,成熟miRNA 10 414条,隶属于2 892个miRNA家族。绿藻门miRNA与其他4个门miRNA无同源性;对其他4个门植物miRNA的保守性进行研究,发现存在于2个植物门的miRNA家族有26个,属于中度保守miRNA家族;14个miRNA家族存在于3个及3个以上植物门中,属于高度保守miRNA家族,其中7个miRNA家族系苔藓、蕨类、裸子和被子植物共有,是植物中最保守的miRNA。分析表明,超过30个miRNA家族的植物有35种。进一步对40个中度或者高度保守miRNA在35种植物中的分布进行研究,发现miRNA家族及其成员在物种间的分布存在较大的差异。这些分布上的差异一方面反映不同植物中miRNA的研究深度不同,另一方面也反映出miRNA在植物进化过程中的适应性调整。研究不同植物中miRNA家族的分布,可在miRNA水平为植物早期进化同源性的研究提供分子依据。