biostudies-literatureLi MNational Key R&D Program of ChinaGuangdong Key Laboratory of Plant Adaptation and Molecular DesignNatural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province318https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12786271biostudies-literatureUnknown27(1)Anthocyanins, biosynthesized through the flavonoid pathway, critically determine floral coloration and ornamental value in plants. While floral development has been extensively studied in <i>Gerbera hybrida</i>, the microRNA-mediated regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis remains unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized the precursor of gerbera microRNA156 (GhmiR156), which exhibits a typical stem-loop secondary structure. The mature GhmiR156 sequence shows 93.65% similarity with miR156 from other plants. Through target prediction analysis, we identified five potential target genes of GhmiR156, all encoding SQUAMOSA Promoter-Binding Protein-Like (SPL) transcription factors. Among these, the gene c35442.graph_c0, which shares the highest similarity with <i>AtSPL2</i> in ArabiInternational journal of molecular sciencesGhmiR156-&lt;i&gt;GhSPL2&lt;/i&gt; Module Regulates Anthocyanin Biosynthesis of Ray Florets in &lt;i&gt;Gerbera hybrida&lt;/i&gt;.PMC127862712023A15150128642022B1212010013-72018YFD1000404Luo QShi SLiao BChen YWang XWang YLi MfalseGhmiR156-&lt;i&gt;GhSPL2&lt;/i&gt; Module Regulates Anthocyanin Biosynthesis of Ray Florets in &lt;i&gt;Gerbera hybrida&lt;/i&gt;.Anthocyanins, biosynthesized through the flavonoid pathway, critically determine floral coloration and ornamental value in plants. While floral development has been extensively studied in <i>Gerbera hybrida</i>, the microRNA-mediated regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis remains unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized the precursor of gerbera microRNA156 (GhmiR156), which exhibits a typical stem-loop secondary structure. The mature GhmiR156 sequence shows 93.65% similarity with miR156 from other plants. Through target prediction analysis, we identified five potential target genes of GhmiR156, all encoding SQUAMOSA Promoter-Binding Protein-Like (SPL) transcription factors. Among these, the gene c35442.graph_c0, which shares the highest similarity with <i>AtSPL2</i> in Arabi2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Dec2026-05-30T03:20:05.084Z2026-05-30T03:11:37.391ZS-EPMC127862714151619510.3390/ijms27010318