Emerging roles of microRNAs in the mediation of drought stress response in plants

• Published in: Journal of experimental botany Vol. 64; no. 11; pp. 3077 - 3086
• Main Authors: Ding, Yanfei, Tao, Yueliang, Zhu, Cheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01-08-2013
• Subjects: Auxins; Biological and medical sciences; Drought; Droughts; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Genes; Messenger RNA; MicroRNA; MicroRNAs - genetics; Models, Biological; Plant cells; Plant physiology and development; Plants; Plants - genetics; REVIEW PAPER; Rice; Stress response; Micro RNA; Gene expression; Mediation; Water stress; target; Gene silencing; Regulation(control); stress response; Gene; gene regulation; Botany; microRNA; Drought
• ISSN: 0022-0957; 1460-2431
• DOI: 10.1093/jxb/ert164

Drought is a major environmental stress factor that limits agricultural production worldwide. Plants employ complex mechanisms of gene regulation in response to drought stress. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small RNAs that are increasingly being recognized as important modulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Many miRNAs have been shown to be involved in drought stress responses, including ABA response, auxin signalling, osmoprotection, and antioxidant defence, by downregulating the respective target genes encoding regulatory and functional proteins. This review summarizes recent molecular studies on the miRNAs involved in the regulation of drought-responsive genes, with emphasis on miRNA-associated regulatory networks involved in drought stress response.