biostudies-literatureLei XNatural Science Foundation of Hebei ProvinceNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Key Research and Development Program of China7926https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC10178733biostudies-literatureUnknown24(9)It is well established that potassium (K⁺) is an essential nutrient for wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) growth and development. Several microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR166, are reportedly vital roles related to plant growth and stress responses. In this study, a K⁺ starvation-responsive miRNA (miR166d) was identified, which showed increased expression in the roots of wheat seedlings exposed to low-K⁺ stress. The overexpression of miR166d considerably increased the tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants to K⁺ deprivation treatment. Furthermore, disrupting miR166d expression via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) adversely affected wheat adaptation to low-K⁺ stress. Additionally, miR166d directly targeted the calcium-dependent International journal of molecular sciencesThe miR166d/<i>TaCPK7-D</i> Signaling Module Is a Critical Mediator of Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) Tolerance to K⁺ Deficiency.PMC101787332022YFD120020431901539C2021204066Yang XXu KZhao SWu NXiao KLei XChen MSun RZhang SZhao YfalseThe miR166d/<i>TaCPK7-D</i> Signaling Module Is a Critical Mediator of Wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) Tolerance to K⁺ Deficiency.It is well established that potassium (K⁺) is an essential nutrient for wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) growth and development. Several microRNAs (miRNAs), including miR166, are reportedly vital roles related to plant growth and stress responses. In this study, a K⁺ starvation-responsive miRNA (miR166d) was identified, which showed increased expression in the roots of wheat seedlings exposed to low-K⁺ stress. The overexpression of miR166d considerably increased the tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis plants to K⁺ deprivation treatment. Furthermore, disrupting miR166d expression via virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) adversely affected wheat adaptation to low-K⁺ stress. Additionally, miR166d directly targeted the calcium-dependent 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Apr2025-04-26T17:26:09.805Z2025-04-06T15:28:54.22ZS-EPMC101787333717563210.3390/ijms24097926