P0823Wheat miRNA Ancestors: Evident by A, B, and D Genomes
Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey
Wheat is a hardy crop for human diet by providing 20 % of all calories consumed in worldwide. Despite its abundant harvest through world, the gained yield is far from satisfying the demands, exclusively considering the day by day increasing human population. Domestication of wheat has improved production and yield at the expense of lost genetic diversity accompanied by related genes with stress tolerance and adaptation. Nevertheless, ancient relatives of wheat; as well as its progenitor from A, B, and D genome lineages; provide a valuable source for exploring and regaining the eradicated genes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are essential building blocks of post-transcriptional gene regulation with outstanding effects on many fundamental processes of cellular life. Their identification and characterization holds significance for revelation of mechanisms which are profiting from gene regulation such as stress tolerance and environmental adaptation. The advent of the next generation sequencing technologies have paved the way into the exploration of many miRNAs that have been characterized as targeting significant molecules in diverse pathways. Understanding the mechanisms of miRNA-based gene regulation is critical considering the aim of enduring plant cultivar development to different environmental conditions. In this study, we performed in silico identification and comparative analysis of microRNA repertoires of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and its diploid progenitors and relatives, Aegilops sharonensis, Aegilops speltoides, Aegilops tauschii, Triticum monococcum and Triticum urartu through the utilization of publicly available transcriptomic data. Our analysis revealed the presence of over 200 different putative microRNA families among all species. The expressed miRNA repertoires of bread wheat and its diploid progenitors and relatives provide significant insight into the diversification and distribution of miRNA genes among Poaceae family which can provide unique opportunities to modulation of gene regulation for better crop performance.