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Early changes in microRNA expression in Arabidopsis plants infected with the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum

Summary

Researchers studied how Arabidopsis plants respond to infection by the fungus Fusarium graminearum by examining changes in small RNA molecules called microRNAs. They found that the plant activates specific microRNAs early in infection, even before visible disease symptoms appear. Two particularly important microRNAs, miR855 and miR826a, were identified as potential key regulators of the plant’s defense response. These findings could help scientists develop crop varieties with improved resistance to fungal diseases that cause significant agricultural losses worldwide.

Background

Plants deploy complex defense mechanisms against pathogenic infections, including regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) that control gene expression. Fusarium graminearum is an important fungal pathogen causing significant losses in cereal crops worldwide through Fusarium head blight disease. Previous studies on plant-pathogen interactions have focused mainly on protein-coding genes while neglecting the role of small non-coding RNAs.

Objective

To investigate how Arabidopsis plants change microRNA expression during early stages of Fusarium graminearum infection, before visible disease symptoms appear. The study aimed to create a catalog of differentially expressed miRNAs and identify their potential roles in plant stress response and disease resistance.

Results

A total of 93 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between infected and mock-inoculated samples, with 53 up-regulated and 40 down-regulated. miR826a showed 106-fold up-regulation and miR855 showed 4.3-7 fold down-regulation at early infection stages. Enriched GO terms indicated involvement in stress response, defense mechanisms, programmed cell death, and callose synthesis.

Conclusion

Early miRNA expression changes in response to F. graminearum infection suggest that miRNAs constitute a first line of plant defense. miR855 and miR826a were identified as potential early regulators of stress response that warrant further investigation for developing fungal-resistant crop cultivars.
  • Published in:PLoS One,
  • Study Type:Experimental Research,
  • Source: PMID: 39913369, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0318532
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