GSE53242
A genome-wide perspective of miRNAome in response to high temperature, salinity and drought stresses in Brassica juncea (Czern) L.
Purpose: To identify high temperature, sailinity and drought-responsive miRNAs at genome wide level in B. juncea var varuna. Results: In this study four small RNA libraries viz. B. juncea control (BJC), B. juncea high temperature stressed (BJH), B. juncea salinity stressed (BJS) and B. juncea drought stressed (BJD) were prepared and sequenced. With the help of UEA sRNA workbench software package 51 conserved miRNAs belonging to 30 miRNA families were identified. As there was limited genomic information available for B. juncea, we generated and assembled its genome sequence at a very low coverage. Using the generated sequence and other publically available Brassica genomic/transcriptomic resources as mapping reference, 126 novel (not reported so far in any plant species) were discovered for the first time in B. juncea. Further analysis also revealed existence of 32 and 37 star sequences for conserved and novel miRNAs, respectively. The expression of a few selected conserved and novel miRNAs under conditions of different abiotic stresses was revalidated through universal TaqMan based real time PCR. Putative targets of identified conserved and novel miRNAs were predicted in B. rapa to gain insights into functional roles manifested by B. juncea miRNAs. Furthermore, SPL2-like, ARF17-like and a NAC domain containing protein were experimentally validated as targets of miR156, miR160 and miR164 respectively. Investigation of gene ontologies linked with targets of known and novel miRNAs forecasted their involvement in various biological functions. Conclusions: We have generated in this study, the first comprehensive abiotic stress influenced small RNA dataset in B. juncea. The combinatorial approach of NGS and computational methods led to the discovery of 51 conserved and 126 novel miRNAs. The present study provides a holistic view of B. juncea miRNAome under conditions of high temperature, salinity and drought. The catalogue of miRNA sequences, their expression and putative targets, generated in this study can be utilized to design crop improvement strategies in B. juncea and related species. Overall design: Total four small RNA libraries were prepared and sequenced independently  [B. juncea control (BJC), B. juncea high temperature stressed (BJH), B. juncea salinity stressed (BJS) and B. juncea drought stressed (BJD)] on Illumina GAIIx