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Plant-pathogen interactions: MicroRNA-mediated trans-kingdom gene regulation in fungi and their host plants

Monika Mathur1, Aswathy Nair2, Narendra Kadoo1

  • 1Biochemical Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411008, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India.

Genomics
|May 27, 2020
PubMed

Insights

This study reveals that microRNAs (miRNAs) and miRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) mediate gene regulation between plants and fungi. These findings suggest novel strategies for engineering disease-resistant crops against fungal pathogens.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Plant Pathology
  • Mycology

Background:

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators in eukaryotes.
  • Recent evidence suggests miRNA-like RNAs (milRNAs) also exist in fungi.
  • Plant-pathogen interactions involve complex molecular crosstalk.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To computationally predict fungal milRNAs and their targets.
  • To investigate trans-kingdom gene regulation between plants and fungi.
  • To explore the role of milRNAs in plant-fungal pathogen interactions.

Main Methods:

  • Computational prediction of milRNAs in 13 fungal species.
  • Target identification in fungal and plant transcriptomes.
  • Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) for expression validation.

Main Results:

  • Identified plant miRNAs targeting fungal virulence genes.
  • Discovered fungal milRNAs targeting plant resistance genes.
  • Confirmed cross-kingdom regulation impacting plant-pathogen dynamics.

Conclusions:

  • miRNA-mediated trans-kingdom regulation is crucial in plant-fungal interactions.
  • Fungal milRNAs and plant miRNAs play significant roles in host-pathogen systems.
  • Targeting fungal virulence or fungal milRNAs offers a promising approach for crop resistance.
Keywords:
Disease resistanceFungal miRNAsResistance genesTarget predictionVirulence genesqRT-PCR

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