In-silico identification of microRNAs from expressed sequence tags of vitis vinifera involved in anthocyanins biosynthesis

Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) are RNAs of 20–22 nucleotides in length with sequence complementarities to specific mRNAs that are targeted for either cleavage or translational repression. As it has been reported, miRNAs play critical regulatory roles in plant growth and development. Computational predictions have raised the number of miRNAs in grape significantly using an EST based approach. These kinds of approaches are a combinatorialapproach which is amalgamation of bioinformatics software, databases and literature which can be used to identify new miRNA functionally active inanthocyanin biosynthesis. In this study, the functionality of miRNAs in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis has been investigated. Previouslyrecorded miRNAs related to anthocyanin biosynthesis were obtained from literatures and their sequences were gained from miRBase. The miRNAs homologies were searched in the EST database of Vitis vinifera by Blastn. Then secondary structures of them were evaluated by mfold website, online RNA secondary structure prediction software. Finally the proper secondary structures were studied to identify the potential targets and regulating region. As a result, it was indicated that two miRNAs miR160a and miR2950-5p might be engaged in anthocyanin biosynthesis via influence on Auxin response factors (ARF) and F-box only protein 13-like in which control of interact with four PAL isozymes and mediate their proteolytic turnover via the ubiquitination-26S proteasome pathway.

Keywords:

Vitis vinifera , Expressed Sequence Tags , miR160a , miR2950-5p , Anthocyanins