Dataset Information

Small RNAs and their targets are associated with the transgenerational effects of water-deficit stress in durum wheat

ABSTRACT: Water-deficit stress negatively affects wheat yield and quality. Abiotic stress on the parental plants during reproduction could have transgenerational effects on the progenies. Here we investigated the transgenerational influence of pre-anthesis water-deficit stress by detailed analysis of the yield components, grain quality traits, and physiological traits in durum wheat. Next-generation sequencing analysis profiled the small RNA-omics, mRNA transcriptomics, and mRNA degradomics in the progenies. Parental water-deficit stress had positive impacts on the progenies in certain traits like harvest index and protein content in given genotype. Small RNA-seq identified 1739 conserved and 774 novel microRNAs (miRNAs). Transcriptome-seq characterised the expression of 66,559 genes while degradome-seq profiled the miRNA-guided mRNA cleavage dynamics. Differentially expressed miRNAs and genes were identified, with significant regulatory patterns subject to trans- and inter- generational stress. Integrated analysis based on the three omics revealed the significant biological interactions between stress-responsive miRNA and targets, with possible contributions towards transgenerational stress tolerance via pathways such as hormone signalling and nutrient metabolism. Our study provides the first confirmation of the transgenerational effects of water-deficit stress in durum wheat. New insights gained on the molecular level indicate that key miRNA-mRNA modules are potential candidates in transgenerational stress improvement.

ORGANISM(S): Triticum turgidum subsp. durum

PROVIDER: GSE162008 | GEO | 2021/02/03

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background: MicroRNAs are endogenous small noncoding RNAs that play critical roles in plant abiotic stress responses. The interaction between miRNA-mRNA targets and their regulatory pathways in response to water deficit stress has been investigated in many plant species. However, the miRNA transcriptome of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum L. ssp. durum) is poorly characterised, with little known about miRNA functions related to water deficit stress. Yield loss in durum wheat can be exacerbated due to minimal rainfall in the early reproductive stages of development during Spring in Australia. This study describes genotypic differences in the miRNAome between water deficit tolerant/sensitive durum, using flag leaf and developing head tissue, and more specifically identifies miRNAs associated with water deficit stress. Results: Small RNA libraries (96 in total) were constructed from flag leaf and developing head tissues of four durum genotypes (Tamaroi, Yawa, EGA Bellaroi, Tjilkuri), with or without water deficit stress. Illumina sequencing and subsequent analysis detected 110 conserved miRNAs and 159 novel candidate miRNA hairpins. Statistical analysis of the abundance of sequencing reads revealed 66 conserved miRNAs and five novel miRNA hairpins showing differential expression under water deficit stress. During stress, several conserved and novel miRNAs showed unambiguous inverted regulatory profiles between the durum genotypes studied. Several miRNAs were also identified to have different abundance in the flag leaf compared to the developing head regardless of treatment. Predicted mRNA targets from four novel durum miRNAs were characterised using Gene Ontology (GO) which revealed functions common to stress responses and plant development. Conclusion: For the first time, we present a comprehensive study of the miRNA transcriptome of flag leaf and developing head tissues in different durum genotypes under water deficit stress. The identification of differentially expressed miRNAs provides molecular evidence that miRNAs are potential determinants of water stress tolerance in durum wheat. GO analysis of predicted targets contributes to the understanding of genotype-specific physiological responses leading to stress tolerance capacity. Further functional analysis of specific stress responsive miRNAs identified, and their interaction with mRNA targets is ongoing and will assist in developing future durum wheat varieties with enhanced water deficit stress tolerance.

Dataset Information

Small RNAs and their targets are associated with the transgenerational effects of water-deficit stress in durum wheat

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure