Identification and the potential involvement of miRNAs in the regulation of artemisinin biosynthesis in A. annua

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) play crucial regulatory roles in multiple biological processes. Recently they have garnered the attention for their strong influence on the secondary metabolite production in plants. Their role in the regulation of artemisinin (ART) biosynthesis is, however, not fully elucidated....

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Published in:	Scientific reports 2020-08, Vol.10 (1), p.13614-13614, Article 13614
Main Authors:	Khan, Shazia, Ali, Athar, Saifi, Monica, Saxena, Parul, Ahlawat, Seema, Abdin, Malik Zainul
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Artemisia annua Artemisia annua - genetics Artemisia annua - growth & development Artemisia annua - metabolism Artemisinin Artemisinins - metabolism Biosynthesis Developmental stages Drug resistance Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental Gene Expression Regulation, Plant Gene Regulatory Networks High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing Malaria Metabolites MicroRNAs - genetics miRNA Plant Leaves - genetics Plant Leaves - metabolism Regulation RNA, Plant - genetics Sequence Analysis, RNA - methods Transcription factors
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Summary:	Micro RNAs (miRNAs) play crucial regulatory roles in multiple biological processes. Recently they have garnered the attention for their strong influence on the secondary metabolite production in plants. Their role in the regulation of artemisinin (ART) biosynthesis is, however, not fully elucidated. ART is a potent anti-malarial compound recommended by WHO for the treatment of drug-resistant malaria. It is produced by Artemisia annua (A. annua). The lower in planta content of ART necessitates a deep understanding of regulatory mechanisms involved in the biosynthesis of this metabolite. In this study, using modern high throughput small RNA-sequencing by Illumina Nextseq 500 platform for identification and stem-loop RT PCR for validation, miRNAs were identified in the leaf sample of A. annua plant. Here, we report a total of 121 miRNAs from A. annua that target several important genes and transcription factors involved in the biosynthesis of ART. This study revealed the presence of some important conserved miRNA families, miR396, miR319, miR399, miR858, miR5083 and miR6111 not identified so far in A. annua. The expression patterns and correlation between miRNAs and their corresponding targets at different developmental stages of the plant using real-time PCR indicate that they may influence ART accumulation. These findings thus, open new possibilities for the rational engineering of the secondary metabolite pathways in general and ART biosynthesis in particular.
ISSN:	2045-2322 2045-2322