Guiping Zhang , Wei Wang

Institute of Life Sciences, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
Bioscience Methods, 2025, Vol. 16, No. 6   doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0027
Received: 10 Sep., 2025    Accepted: 26 Oct., 2025    Published: 11 Nov., 2025

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Zhang G.P., and Wang W., 2025, Post-transcriptional regulation by microRNAs during drought in rye, Bioscience Methods, 16(6): 280-288 (doi: 10.5376/bm.2025.16.0027)

 

Rye (Secale cereale L.) is renowned for its strong adaptability in marginal environments and is of great significance for ensuring food security and achieving sustainable agriculture in areas with frequent droughts. This study systematically explored the miRNA expression dynamics of rye under drought stress and its mechanism of action in gene silencing, signal integration and stress adaptation. Through high-throughput sequencing technology, multiple differentially expressed mirnas under drought conditions were identified, and their potential target genes were predicted. The results of functional annotation and network analysis indicated that these mirnas were mainly involved in regulating key pathways such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) clearance, abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, and transcriptional regulation related to stress responses. In the case studies of miR398, miR159 and miR166, the research revealed how specific mirNA-target gene interactions affect the physiological characteristics of rye under drought stress, including ROS clearance efficiency, hormone signal regulation and leaf morphology changes, etc. This study not only deepens the understanding of the molecular response mechanism of rye to drought, but also provides new ideas and technical support for mirNa-based functional genomics research and the improvement of stress-resistant crops in the context of climate change.

Rye; Drought stress; microRNA; Post-transcriptional regulation; Drought resistance mechanism