MicroRNA Mediated Plant Responses to Nutrient Stress

Abstract

To complete their life cycles, plants require several minerals that are found in soil. Plant growth and development can be affected by nutrient shortages or high nutrient availability. Several adaptations and evolutionary changes have enabled plants to cope with inappropriate growth conditions and low or high nutrient levels. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been recognized for transcript cleavage and translational reduction, and can be used for post-transcriptional regulation. Aside from regulating plant growth and development, miRNAs play a crucial role in regulating plant’s adaptations to adverse environmental conditions. Additionally, miRNAs are involved in plants’ sensory functions, nutrient uptake, long-distance root transport, and physiological functions related to nutrients. It may be possible to develop crops that can be cultivated in soils that are either deficient in nutrients or have extreme nutrient supplies by understanding how plant miRNAs are associated with nutrient stress. In this review, an overview is presented regarding recent advances in the understanding of plants’ responses to nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, copper, iron, boron, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and calcium deficiencies via miRNA regulation. We conclude with future research directions emphasizing the modification of crops for improving future food security.

Integrated Full-Length Transcriptome and MicroRNA Sequencing Approaches Provide Insights Into Salt Tolerance in Mangrove (Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham.)

“…Additionally, we noted that some stress-regulated miRNAs, identified in this study, might be fine-tuned across adaptive responses to various stresses. For example, miR169 and miR319 were considered as a bridge, linking plant responses to ABA, drought and salt stress ( De la Rosa et al, 2019 ; Salgado et al, 2021 ); miR398 was reported to play vital roles in various stresses such as water deficit ( Yang et al, 2020 ), oxidative stress ( Li et al, 2020 ), nutrient deficiency ( Islam et al, 2022 ), salt stress ( He et al, 2021 ), and bacterial infection ( Salamon et al, 2021 ). This was probably due to the shared regulatory genes that are modulated by these miRNAs across distinct stress responses, attempting to reveal complex miRNA-mediated gene regulation was involved in the cross-response to abiotic and biotic stresses.…”

Advanced biotechnological strategies towards the development of crops with enhanced micronutrient content

“…Biofortification through agricultural biotechnology also relies on the precise genome editing approaches, including the CRISPR-Cas9 and other genome editing strategies and also on the genetic manipulation of regulatory elements, like microRNAs. Besides genome editing, during the recent years, emphasis has been given on the other biotechnological approaches, such as the microRNA mediated regulation of nutrient transporters and metabolic enzymes under the nutrient stress conditions in cereal crops (Islam et al 2022 ). Along with the traditional and marker-assisted plant breeding approaches, biofortification of crops through agricultural biotechnology using less-expensive, rapid and more potential genome editing strategies will provide important tool in the long run to overcome the challenge of global micronutrient malnutrition.…”

MicroRNAs Mediated Plant Responses to Salt Stress

“…When confronted with environmental stresses, some miRNAs exhibit altered regulations. Nutrient imbalance [ 27 , 28 ], drought [ 29 , 30 , 31 ], salinity [ 32 , 33 , 34 ], cold [ 35 , 36 , 37 ], heat or high temperatures [ 38 , 39 , 40 ], ultraviolet (UV)-B/C rays [ 41 , 42 ] result in altered expressions of various miRNA families. miR398 was the first miRNA to be directly linked to environmental stress tolerance in plants.…”