The Critical Role of miRNAs in Regulation of Flowering Time and Flower Development

Abstract

Flowering is an important biological process for plants that ensures reproductive success. The onset of flowering needs to be coordinated with an appropriate time of year, which requires tight control of gene expression acting in concert to form a regulatory network. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs known as master modulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Many different miRNA families are involved in flowering-related processes such as the induction of floral competence, floral patterning, and the development of floral organs. This review highlights the diverse roles of miRNAs in controlling the flowering process and flower development, in combination with potential biotechnological applications for miRNAs implicated in flower regulation.

Current status of microRNA‐mediated regulation of drought stress responses in cereals

“…MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20-24 nucleotides long, endogenous small RNAs that silence or down-regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level by targeting mRNAs through imperfect sequence complementarity (Bonnet et al 2006;Saroha et al 2017;Ji et al 2018;Singroha & Sharma 2019). Increasing evidences suggests that miRNAs are important regulators of various plant processes, including growth and development (Waheed & Zheng 2020) as well as both abiotic and biotic stress responses (Sunkar et al 2006;Sunkar et al 2012;Sunkar & Zhu 2004). miRNAmediated drought responses manifest in a range of molecular, biochemical and physiological processes (Balyan et al 2017;Begum et al 2019;Ding et al 2013;Liu et al 2015).…”

Identification of miRNAs and Their Targets Involved in Flower and Fruit Development across Domesticated and Wild Capsicum Species

“…Flowering is an important biological process for plants that represents the phase transition from vegetative growth to reproductive growth, ensuring success in plant reproduction [ 33 , 34 ]. Several miRNAs have been reported to be a main regulator of the floral phase transition in many plants, including Arabidopsis [ 35 ], tomato [ 36 ], and apple [ 37 ].…”

“…Several miRNAs have been reported to be a main regulator of the floral phase transition in many plants, including Arabidopsis [ 35 ], tomato [ 36 ], and apple [ 37 ]. For instance, miR156/157 and 172 are the two main key members of the aging pathway regulating SPL and AP2-like TFs [ 34 ]. These miRNAs play antagonistic but related roles in Arabidopsis flower induction, whereas a high level of miR156 extends the juvenile phase and delays flowering, and miR172 accumulation leads to early flowering [ 38 , 39 ].…”

The Critical Role of Small RNAs in Regulating Plant Innate Immunity

“…GA and ABA play a critical role in response to various environmental stresses. These two phytohormones regulate the expression of miRl59 and subsequently control the development of flower organs [ 96 , 97 ]. An experiment conducted on the mutants of some miRNA families demonstrated hypersensitivity to osmotic stress and ABA [ 89 ].…”

“…In an amiRNA gene, the mature miRNA sequence of an miRNA precursor is replaced by a sequence (miRNA) designed to recognize a target gene of interest [ 130 ]. The artificial target mimic technology is based on an indigenous regulatory mechanism that negatively regulates the activity of specific miRNAs in plants [ 97 , 131 ]. It was first discovered in the case of the Induced by Phosphate Starvation1 (IPS1) transcript, where IPS1 induces a motif with a complementarity sequence to the phosphate (Pi) starvation-induced miRNA miR-399 .…”