Abstract
Cadmium is a toxic metal widely found in workplaces and plant soil because of extensive industrialization. Wheat is an important source of food generated from plant soil. The different responses of wheat against different omic levels of cadmium have been observed and widely studied worldwide. With the development of high-throughput sequencing, micro-level biological research has extended to the microRNA level. In this study, high-cadmium-accumulating wheat cultivars (Annong9267) and low-cadmium-accumulating wheat cultivars (Qian 102032) were used as experimental models. The two cultivars were treated by Cd for 2 h to explore the microRNA profiles in root and leaf tissues through small RNA sequencing. Important small RNAs, such as tae-miR9663-5p and tae-miR6201, and potential small RNA-mediated mechanisms associated with cadmium accumulation were identified by summarizing specific microRNA profiling patterns and their respective target genes. At the wheat roots and leaves, differentially expressed small RNAs related to cadmium accumulation in different plant tissues (roots or leaves) were identified, and functional enrichment analyses on target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs in low- and high-cadmium-accumulating wheat cultivars in different plant tissues (roots or leaves) obtained some known mature miRNAs and new miRNAs. The identified miRNA will be regarded as a potential screening biomarker for low-cadmium-accumulating wheat.
Highlights
Heavy metal pollution caused by extensive industrialization, urbanization, and improper wastewater treatment can affect the physical processes of plants (Ashraf et al, 2019, 2020; Fischer et al, 2020)
New small RNA properties associated with cadmium accumulation and tissue specificity in wheat were identified at two major levels: (1) differentially expressed small RNAs associated with cadmium accumulation in different plant tissues and (2) functional enrichment analyses on target genes of Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) in lowand high-cadmium-accumulating wheat cultivars in different plant tissues
The differentially expressed small RNAs were identified as candidate biomarkers to evaluate cadmium metabolism in roots and leaves
Summary
Heavy metal pollution caused by extensive industrialization, urbanization, and improper wastewater treatment can affect the physical processes of plants (Ashraf et al, 2019, 2020; Fischer et al, 2020). 2.35 × 1012 m2 of arable land worldwide is contaminated by heavy metals (Li et al, 2017). Several cereals uptake cadmium from soil and water and accumulate this metal in their shoots and edible parts. Cadmium enters from the root and transfers to the stem, leaves, and grains by metal sRNA Functional Exploration on Wheat transporters. A conventional and worldwide staple food source that accounts for 30% of calorie consumption, can uptake cadmium and often exceeds the maximum standard exposure level (Alaux et al, 2018). Cadmium concentration in durum wheat grain harvested on Canadian prairies has reached 300 μg kg−1, thereby exceeding the limit set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (200 μg kg−1) (Chen et al, 2018). The interaction between cadmium and wheat must be thoroughly understood
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