Meta Analysis of Micro RNAs Expressed Under Cadmium Stress In Rice Root Tissue

Toxicity due to metal is one the key abiotic stress factor effecting crop yield. Several biological responses take place in plant due to metal stress at levels of both transcription and post transcription. One of the abundant heavy metal pollutants which are highly toxic to both plants and animals is Cadmium (Cd). In plants, miRNAs are associated in regulation of signal transduction, growth and stress responses. Recent studies indicate that miRNAs are involved in both biotic and abiotic stress responses in plants. Meta analysis of miRNAs under Cd stress in different rice root tissue has been done in this study. This study revealed the differential expression of miRNAs under Cadmium stress and their target mRNAs in different root tissues. The study evaluated the expression of miRNAs such as miR812, miR169, miR167, miR166 and miR2118 as the major key players in Cd stress of rice root tissue using statistical measures. The study also involved a detailed literature study and GO enrichment analysis of miRNAs and their target mRNAs using different bioinformatic tools and annotation databases. Also the result of the study indicates that miRNAs and mRNAs could act as a resource for engineering stress tolerance in rice in future studies.