Modulation of Plant MicroRNA Expression: Its Potential Usability in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Improvement

Area of Science:

• Plant molecular biology
• Crop science
• Genetics

Background:

• Wheat yield is plateauing, threatening food security due to increasing population and climate change impacts.
• Conventional genetic engineering faces challenges in wheat's complex genome for improving traits like yield, tissue culture amenability, and stress tolerance.
• MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally and are emerging as powerful tools for crop improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the biogenesis, manipulation, and applications of plant miRNAs for enhancing wheat productivity.
• To explore miRNA-based strategies for improving wheat's somatic embryogenesis, thermotolerance, and drought tolerance.
• To address the limitations of traditional genetic engineering in wheat by highlighting the potential of miRNAs.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on plant miRNA biogenesis and function.
• Analysis of miRNA roles in regulating wheat growth, development, and stress responses.
• Discussion of miRNA-based genetic engineering approaches for wheat improvement.

Main Results:

• miRNAs are highly conserved, enabling predictable target gene identification and phenotypic outcomes.
• miRNAs can simultaneously target multiple genes, making them suitable for complex, multigenic traits.
• Successful application of miRNAs can enhance wheat yield, somatic embryogenesis, and tolerance to heat and drought stress.

Conclusions:

• Plant miRNAs represent a viable alternative to protein-coding gene engineering for enhancing wheat's agronomic traits.
• Targeting miRNAs can overcome challenges associated with wheat's complex genome and multigenic traits.
• miRNA-based strategies hold significant potential for improving wheat's resilience to climate change and increasing global food security.