Beyond the genome: unveiling tissue-specific non-coding RNAs in clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.)

Clove (Syzygium aromaticum), valued for its role in food preservation and medicine, has recently drawn research interest for its noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). This study discovers 3274 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and 2404 circular RNAs (circRNAs) from publicly available RNAseq data. We identified the regulation of 834 genes through miRNA-lncRNA-mRNA network interactions. Additionally, 35 lncRNAs were predicted as precursors for 17 microRNAs (miRNAs), highlighting their role in post-transcriptional regulation. Tissue-specific analysis of circRNAs revealed their interaction with 1047 miRNAs and competing for binding sites on 2382 messenger RNAs (mRNAs). These results underscore their involvement in complex regulatory networks. To support further research and development, we developed SaroNcRDb (http://backlin.cabgrid.res.in/saroncrdb/), a web resource providing detailed insights into the types, chromosomal locations, tissue distributions, and interactions of identified ncRNAs. The findings pave the way for future studies to harness the regulatory roles of ncRNAs in improving Clove's agronomic traits and secondary metabolite production.