MicroRNA在雷蒙德氏棉中的表达（英文）

Expression profiles of mi RNAs in Gossypium raimondii

目的:探索16个保守microRNA在雷蒙德氏棉中的表达情况。创新点:首次研究了microRNA在雷蒙德氏棉四个组织的表达情况。方法:设计16个microRNA的引物,并提取雷蒙德氏棉四个不同组织的RNA进行实时荧光定量聚合酶链式反应(q RT-PCR)。结论:在不同的组织中,这些micro RNA的表达水平差异很大。包括miR-159、miR-162、miR-164、miR-172、miR-390、miR-395、miR-397和miR-398在内的8个micro RNA在花蕾中表达含量非常高,而另外一些microRNA,例如miR-166和miR-160,在四个不同组织中都有很高的表达量。

miRNAs are a class of conserved, small, endogenous, and non-protein-coding RNA molecules with 20- 24 nucleotides （nt） in length that function as post-transcriptional modulators of gene expression in eukaryotic cells. Functional studies have demonstrated that plant miRNAs are involved in the regulation of a wide range of plant de- velopmental processes. To date, however, no research has been carried out to study the expression profiles of miRNAs in Gossypium raimondii, a model cotton species. We selected 16 miRNAs to profile their tissue-specific expression patterns in G. raimondii four different tissues, and these miRNAs are reported to play important roles in plant growth and development. Our results showed that the expression levels of these miRNAs varied significantly from one to another in a tissue-dependent manner. Eight miRNAs, including miR-159, miR-162, miR-164, miR-172, miR-390, miR-395, miR-397, and miR-398, exhibited exclusively high expression levels in flower buds, suggesting that these miRNAs may play significant roles in floral development. The expression level of miR-164 was relatively high in shoots beside flower buds, implying that the function of miR-164 is not only limited to floral development but it may also play an important role in shoot development. Certain miRNAs such as miR-166 and miR-160 were extremely highly expressed in all of the four tissues tested compared with other miRNAs investigated, suggesting that they may play regulatory roles at multiple development stages. This study will contribute to future studies on the functional charac- terization of rniRNAs in cotton.