Addressing the role of microRNAs in reprogramming leaf growth during drought stress in Brachypodium distachyon.

ABSTRACT: Plant responses to drought are regulated by complex genetic and epigenetic networks leading to rapid reprogramming of plant growth. miRNAs have been widely indicated as key players in the regulation of growth and development. The role of miRNAs in drought response was investigated in young leaves of Brachypodium distachyon, a drought-tolerant monocot model species. Adopting an in vivo drought assay, shown to cause a dramatic reduction in leaf size, mostly due to reduced cell expansion, small RNA libraries were produced from proliferating and expanding leaf cells. Next-generation sequencing data were analyzed using an in-house bioinformatics pipeline allowing the identification of 66 annotated miRNA genes and 122 new high confidence predictions greatly expanding the number of known Brachypo

SUBMITTER: Bertolini E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3603004 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature