High throughput identification of miRNAs reveal novel interacting targets regulating chickpea-rhizobia symbiosis

Abstract

Legumes developed symbiotic associations to meet its nitrogen requirement. The nitrogen fixation takes place in root nodules which involves bacterial colonization, organogenesis and nitrogen fixation. In order to unravel the miRNA mediated regulation of chickpea symbiosis, one microRNA and four parallel analysis of RNA ends (PARE) libraries were sequenced. Analysis of microRNA library identified a set of 91 miRNAs comprising of 84 conserved and 7 novel miRNAs. Additionally, PARE library analysis revealed 564 genes being targeted by 85 miRNAs. Phylogenetic analysis of the precursor sequences of the 91 miRNAs was carried out which revealed their ancestral relationships. Further, the mechanism of miRNAs biogenesis was predicted using the miRNAs information from other legumes. Reads from the nodule library were mapped to bacterial genomes to predict bacterial-encoded small RNAs. Real time expression analysis was used to validate the antagonistic expression pattern of important miRNA-mRNA target pairs. Four candidate miRNAs were selected for in planta study based on the antagonistic expression profiling as well as the novelty of their respective targets. miR171f, miR172c, miR394 and miR1509 targeted nodulation receptor kinase, Apetala2, histidine phosphotransferase, adenylate kinase respectively and were ectopically expressed in chickpea roots. The overexpression lines showed significant change in nodule numbers, the miR172c, miR394 and miR1509 resulted in an increase in nodule number whereas, miR171f overexpression led to a decrease in nodule number. Our analysis lays the foundation for functional characterization of novel miRNAs and their respective target pairs which control nodulation in chickpea and other leguminous crops.