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Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Metabolomic Analysis of Barley by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry
Published on: November 8, 2024
The barley miR393 has multiple roles in regulation of seedling growth, stomatal density, and drought stress tolerance
Weiyi Yuan1, Jingqi Suo1, Bo Shi1
1Key Laboratory for Cell and Gene Engineering of Zhejiang Province, Institute of Genetics and Regenerative Biology, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, China.
Abstract:
microRNA393 (miR393) and its target module have been implicated as comprising a conserved mechanism to regulate developmental processes and plant growth in response to environmental signals through the auxin signaling pathway. Our previous work identified miR393 and its two targets in barley. In this study, we further investigated the expression pattern of miR393 and its biological functions in seedling growth and drought tolerance. We showed that the miR393 overexpressing line (OE) exhibited increased stomatal density with decreased guard cell length, while the miR393 knockdown line (MIM) displayed the opposite phenotype, which might be due to the effects of miR393 on AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR5 (ARF5) and three stomatal development-related genes, such as EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR1 (EPF1), SPEECHLESS (SPCH), and MUTE. In addition, the MIM line conferred enhanced drought tolerance, with alleviated leaf chlorosis and lipid peroxidation after 22 days drought treatment. In contrast, the OE line was more sensitive to drought stress and accumulated more malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide than the wild type. Furthermore, polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment-induced abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in leaves was suppressed in the OE line, indicating that miR393 might regulate drought stress response and tolerance through its interaction with ABA biosynthesis. Overall, these data suggest that miR393 might be a potential target for manipulation of stomatal density and improvement of drought tolerance in barley.
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