Differential Expression of MicroRNAs are Responsive to Drought Stress and Exogenous Methyl Jasmonate in Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

Wheat is an important food crop in the world, and its root system perceives stresses mainly, however, the molecular mechanism of wheat root responses to drought stress are still poorly understood. Jasmonic acid (JA) and its derivative methyl jasmonate (MeJA) participate in multiple biological processes in plant Exogenous JAs could improve the drought tolerance of various species. The microRNAs (miRNAs) play a significant role in post-transcriptional regulation as well as responding to many adversity stresses. In this study, the sec generation high throughput sequencing technique was employed to identify the drought- and MeJA-response miRNAs, so as to unravel the underlying molecular mechanism. Differentially expressed miRNAs were screened from comparison of treatments and control. These miRNAs could regulate expression of their target genes and might play essential role in the drought tolerance. The screened miRNAs and target genes would be the focus of future study to uncover the molecular mechanism of wheat root responses to drought stress. (C) 2019 Friends Science Publishers