Evolution of Plant Conserved microRNAs After Whole-Genome Duplications.

ABSTRACT: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a specialized class of small silencing RNAs that regulate gene expression in numerous biological processes in eukaryotes. While the evolutionary dynamics of protein-coding genes after plant whole-genome duplications (WGDs) has been extensively studied, the patterns of evolution for conserved MIRNAs (miRNA genes) post-WGDs are less understood. In this study, we systematically investigated miRNAs and their targets in 6 plant species with varying WGD histories. Our findings reveal that WGDs significantly contribute to the expansion of conserved miRNA families. Notably, through homologous analyses of conserved miRNA families, we discovered that beyond the loci derived from WGDs and other duplication events, some conserved miRNA families have independently gained new loci

SUBMITTER: Qin L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11932082 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature