REGULATION OF microRNAs DURING BIOTIC AND ABIOTIC STRESS

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides play keyroles in fundamental cellular processes, comprising how cells react to changes inenvironment or, stress. Stress is the state when cells deviate from the current situation dueto sudden environmental changes or frequent fluctuations in environmental factors. Apartfrom the cellular concentration of miRNAs, the target gene repression level is alsodependent on the concentration of mRNA target relative to the miRNA. From the previousstudies it is seen that many aberrant expression of many miRNAs is induced by abioticstressors so that miRNAs can be used as a new target for genetically improving planttolerance to many stress. miRNAs respond to environmental stress mainly tissue andgenotype-dependent manner. During abiotic stress, miRNAs function by regulating targetgenes within the miRNA-target gene network and by controlling signalling pathways androot development. In this review, we revisit the processing of microRNAs in animals andplants, history of miRNAs and condense recent findings in miRNA biogenesis andmicroRNAs involved in biotic and abiotic stress