title: microRNAs responsive to ozone-induced oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana.
abstract: Ozone is a model abiotic elicitor of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are important oxidative signaling molecules coordinating plant development and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. Recently, microRNAs have been described as important players in regulating stress responses in plants. In this research we examined the miRNAs that are differentially expressed early in response to ozone in the Arabidopsis thaliana ecotype Col-0 that is tolerant to this oxidant. We used a plant miRNA array to identify 22 miRNA families that are differentially expressed within one hour of ozone fumigation. Majority of these miRNAs were also reported in response to UV-B stress. Analysis of the miRNA target genes showed a strong negative correlation to the miRNA expression. In silico promoter analysis of miRNA genes identified several stress responsive cis-elements that were enriched in the promoters of ozone responsive genes. Majority of the target genes of ozone responsive miRNAs were associated with developmental processes. Based on these results we suggest that post-transcriptional gene regulation via miRNAs may aid in resource allocation by downregulating developmental processes to cater to the oxidative stress demands on plants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.
authors.forename: Niranjani J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Iyer
authors.forename: Xiaoyun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Ramanjulu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sunkar
authors.forename: Guiliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Ramamurthy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mahalingam
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D019295:Computational Biology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000187:drug effects; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics*; D010126:Ozone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D010126:Ozone