Bioinformatic Analysis of Drought-Response Small RNA Temporal Expression Profiles in Maize

Small RNAs (sRNAs), particularly miRNAs, have been demonstrated to play crucial roles in drought response in plants. We generated massive sRNA sequencing data from a set of time-series maize seedlings under drought stress (DS), which were taken from 3 to 10 days after watering, and from their well-watered (WW) controls. In this study, a network analysis was performed on the sRNA time-series profiles to discover novel drought-response miRNAs and to reveal the web of interactions formed by many small RNAs. This study provides insightful information about the complexity of the sRNA population and sRNA responses to gradually imposing drought stress.