title: Identification and Characterization of microRNAs during Maize Grain Filling.
abstract: The grain filling rate is closely associated with final grain yield of maize during the period of maize grain filling. To identify the key microRNAs (miRNAs) and miRNA-dependent gene regulation networks of grain filling in maize, a deep-sequencing technique was used to research the dynamic expression patterns of miRNAs at four distinct developmental grain filling stages in Zhengdan 958, which is an elite hybrid and cultivated widely in China. The sequencing result showed that the expression amount of almost all miRNAs was changing with the development of the grain filling and formed in seven groups. After normalization, 77 conserved miRNAs and 74 novel miRNAs were co-detected in these four samples. Eighty-one out of 162 targets of the conserved miRNAs belonged to transcriptional regulation (81, 50%), followed by oxidoreductase activity (18, 11%), signal transduction (16, 10%) and development (15, 9%). The result showed that miRNA 156, 393, 396 and 397, with their respective targets, might play key roles in the grain filling rate by regulating maize growth, development and environment stress response. The result also offered novel insights into the dynamic change of miRNAs during the developing process of maize kernels and assisted in the understanding of how miRNAs are functioning about the grain filling rate.
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
authors.forename: Xining
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
authors.forename: Zhiyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
authors.forename: Panqing
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
authors.forename: Weihua
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: National Key Laboratory of Wheat and Maize Crop Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Grain Crops, College of Agronomy, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.
authors.forename: Jihua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D002523:Edible Grain / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000032:analysis*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000032:analysis*; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D018749:RNA, Plant