Identification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet

Abstract The finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) genome, comprised 166 conserved microRNAs (miRNAs) belonging to 39 families and three novel miRNAs. The miR169 is one of the most conserved miRNA families, while Eco_N1 is a species-specific miRNA prevalent in finger millet. Its members regu...

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Main Authors: Varsha Rani, Sumi Rana, Mehanathan Muthamilarasan, D. C. Joshi, Ramwant Gupta, Rajesh Singh, Dinesh Yadav
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96233-x
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author Varsha Rani
Sumi Rana
Mehanathan Muthamilarasan
D. C. Joshi
Ramwant Gupta
Rajesh Singh
Dinesh Yadav
author_facet Varsha Rani
Sumi Rana
Mehanathan Muthamilarasan
D. C. Joshi
Ramwant Gupta
Rajesh Singh
Dinesh Yadav
author_sort Varsha Rani
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) genome, comprised 166 conserved microRNAs (miRNAs) belonging to 39 families and three novel miRNAs. The miR169 is one of the most conserved miRNA families, while Eco_N1 is a species-specific miRNA prevalent in finger millet. Its members regulate the expression of genes encoding the Nuclear Factor-Y subunit A (NF-YA) via transcript cleavage. However, the role of miRNA genes in regulating the expression of NF-YA transcription factors in finger millet needs to be deciphered. The present study characterized 166 conserved and novel miRNAs (Eco_N1, Eco_N2 and Eco_N3). Further, secondary structures were predicted, and the potential miR genes targeting the NF-YA transcription factors regulating abiotic stress tolerance were analysed. Twenty-three Eco-miR169 members and one Eco_N1 miRNA targeting EcNF-YA13 were identified in the finger millet genome. The presence of relevant cis-elements such as ABRE (abscisic acid-responsive elements), DRE (dehydration-responsive element), and MYB (myeloblastosis) indicates that the target of Eco-miR169 might be involved in abiotic stress responses. The tissue-specific RNA-seq transcriptomic expression pattern of Eco-miR169 showed variable fold of expression in seedlings compared to the control. At the same time, the expression of EcNF-YA13 (target genes of Eco-miR169 members and Eco_N1) presented a downregulated trend under salinity and dehydration conditions compared to the control. Tissue-specific RNA-seq followed by expression analysis confirmed the antagonistic effect of Eco-miR genes on EcNF-YA13. In a nutshell, the results of this study could be utilized as a platform for further exploration and characterization of finger millet Eco-miR169-EcNF-YA13gene regulatory network.
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spelling doaj-art-d413a761286b46afa075f25d8cba58e42025-08-20T02:17:09ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-04-0115112310.1038/s41598-025-96233-xIdentification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger milletVarsha Rani0Sumi Rana1Mehanathan Muthamilarasan2D. C. Joshi3Ramwant Gupta4Rajesh Singh5Dinesh Yadav6Department of Biotechnology, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur UniversityDepartment of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of HyderabadDepartment of Plant Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of HyderabadICAR-Vivekananda Institute of Hill AgricultureDepartment of Botany, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur UniversityDepartment of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu UniversityDepartment of Biotechnology, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur UniversityAbstract The finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) genome, comprised 166 conserved microRNAs (miRNAs) belonging to 39 families and three novel miRNAs. The miR169 is one of the most conserved miRNA families, while Eco_N1 is a species-specific miRNA prevalent in finger millet. Its members regulate the expression of genes encoding the Nuclear Factor-Y subunit A (NF-YA) via transcript cleavage. However, the role of miRNA genes in regulating the expression of NF-YA transcription factors in finger millet needs to be deciphered. The present study characterized 166 conserved and novel miRNAs (Eco_N1, Eco_N2 and Eco_N3). Further, secondary structures were predicted, and the potential miR genes targeting the NF-YA transcription factors regulating abiotic stress tolerance were analysed. Twenty-three Eco-miR169 members and one Eco_N1 miRNA targeting EcNF-YA13 were identified in the finger millet genome. The presence of relevant cis-elements such as ABRE (abscisic acid-responsive elements), DRE (dehydration-responsive element), and MYB (myeloblastosis) indicates that the target of Eco-miR169 might be involved in abiotic stress responses. The tissue-specific RNA-seq transcriptomic expression pattern of Eco-miR169 showed variable fold of expression in seedlings compared to the control. At the same time, the expression of EcNF-YA13 (target genes of Eco-miR169 members and Eco_N1) presented a downregulated trend under salinity and dehydration conditions compared to the control. Tissue-specific RNA-seq followed by expression analysis confirmed the antagonistic effect of Eco-miR genes on EcNF-YA13. In a nutshell, the results of this study could be utilized as a platform for further exploration and characterization of finger millet Eco-miR169-EcNF-YA13gene regulatory network.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96233-xAbiotic stressGene expressionFinger milletmiRNANuclear Factor-YTranscription factor
spellingShingle Varsha Rani
Sumi Rana
Mehanathan Muthamilarasan
D. C. Joshi
Ramwant Gupta
Rajesh Singh
Dinesh Yadav
Identification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet
Scientific Reports
Abiotic stress
Gene expression
Finger millet
miRNA
Nuclear Factor-Y
Transcription factor
title Identification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet
title_full Identification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet
title_fullStr Identification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet
title_full_unstemmed Identification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet
title_short Identification and characterization of Eco-miR 169-EcNF-YA13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet
title_sort identification and characterization of eco mir 169 ecnf ya13 gene regulatory network reveal their role in conferring tolerance to dehydration and salinity stress in finger millet
topic Abiotic stress
Gene expression
Finger millet
miRNA
Nuclear Factor-Y
Transcription factor
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96233-x
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