Abstract
Coconut palms are propagated mainly through nuts, which does not meet the requirement of quality planting materials for large scale planting. In vitro propagation to enhance production of high yielding, disease-free planting material in coconut has remained a distant reality because of its in vitro recalcitrance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in the regulation of a plethora of cellular, physiological and developmental processes which include developmental regulation, hormone response and adaptation to stresses. In this study, computational methods were utilized to identify conserved miRNA from transcriptome data of coconut embryogenic calli. A total of 117,790 unigenes from coconut embryogenic calli were compared against monocot mature miRNA sequences. A total of 27 mature miRNA sequences, belonging to 15 miRNA families, viz. miR156, miR164, miR166, miR167, miR169, miR171, miR172, miR394, miR397, miR408, miR444, miR535, miR827, miR1134 and miR2118, were identified. Many of these have well defined and crucial roles in developmental pathways and hormone signalling in other plant species. Each of the identified miRNA had its own predicted targets. This is the first in silico study describing miRNAs and their role in the regulation of in vitro embryogenesis in coconut. The results obtained in this study would provide a base for future studies to address molecular mechanisms that govern in vitro recalcitrance in coconut and the role of miRNAs in the process.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.