Transcriptional regulation of cold-responsive genes is crucial for exogenous melatonin-mediated cold tolerance in plants. Nonetheless, how melatonin regulates cold-responsive genes is largely unknown. In this study, we found that exogenous melatonin improved cold tolerance in watermelon by regulating expression of microRNAs (miRNAs). We identified a set of miRNAs that were regulated by melatonin under unstressed or cold conditions. Importantly, mRNA-seq analysis revealed that melatonin-induced downregulation of some miRNAs, such as miR159-5p, miR858, miR8029-3p, and novel-m0048-3p correlated with the upregulation of target genes involved in signal transduction (CDPK, BHLH, WRKY, MYB, and DREB) and protection/detoxification (LEA and MDAR) under cold stress. These results suggest that miRNAs may be involved in melatonin-mediated cold tolerance in watermelon by negatively regulating the expression of target mRNAs.
CITATION STYLE
Li, H., Dong, Y., Chang, J., He, J., Chen, H., Liu, Q., … Zhang, X. (2016). High-throughput MicroRNA and mRNA sequencing reveals that microRNAs may be involved in melatonin-mediated cold tolerance in citrullus lanatus L. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7(AUG2016). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2016.01231
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