Scientists have discovered the role of miR169 in regulating the development
and stress responses of perennial grasses. Their findings may help develop
crop varieties with desired traits in the agricultural industry.



MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have a crucial role in plant-environment interactions by
changing gene expression profiles to enhance environmental adaptations.
MicroRNA169 (miRNA169) has been suggested to play a part in the multi-stress
regulation of annual species, such as rice and maize. However, there is
limited research on its impact on the growth and development of perennial
species.



Researchers from Clemson University used short tandem target mimicry (MIM)
to produce transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera). The results
showed that elevated levels of miR169 negatively affect growth and biomass
production. However, it improves the plant's resistance to drought and salt
stress. miR169 also affects the expression levels of hormone regulators,
stress-regulating transcription factors, antioxidant scavengers, and
membrane-transporting components. Their findings would enable the production
of biotechnology methods to fine-tune miR169 expression to get crop traits
necessary for agricultural operation demands.



[onlinelibrary.wiley.com]