Differential expression of the microRNAs in superior and inferior spikelets in rice (Oryza sativa)

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation and have been shown to control many genes involved in various biological and metabolic processes. This work investigated miRNAs in rice (Oryza sativa), an important food crop. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to reveal expression differences in miRNAs between superior and inferior spikelets in rice (japonica cultivar Xinfeng 2) at 18 d after fertilization. Totals of 351 and 312 known miRNAs were obtained from the superior and inferior spikelets, respectively. Analysis of the expression profiles of these miRNAs showed that 189 miRNAs were differentially expressed between superior spikelets and inferior spikelets. In addition, 43 novel miRNAs were identified mostly by the accumulation of miRNA*s expressed differentially between the superior and inferior spikelets. Further analysis with bioinformatics software and comparison with existing databases showed that these differentially expressed miRNAs may individually participate in regulating hormone metabolism, carbohydrate metabolic pathways, and cell division during rice grain development. The results indicate that the slow grain-filling and low grain weight of rice inferior spikelets are attributed partly to differences in expression and function between superior and inferior spikelet miRNAs.