Neeti Sanan Mishra
International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, India
Title: microRNA interactions during rice development and stress adaptation
Biography
Biography: Neeti Sanan Mishra
Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs) are documented as crucial modulators of gene expression in plant growth and development. Cumulative substantiation supports the fact that miRNAs act as genetic shields against various abiotic and biotic stress conditions by regulating plant gene expression. We adopted the approach of Next Generation Sequencing (Illumina) technology for comparative profiling of miRNAs from different tissues under high temperature and salt stress physiologies in different Indian rice varieties. This revealed the expression patterns of several known and novel miRNAs. The expression patterns of selected stress deregulated miRNAs and their targets were experimentally validated. Time kinetics studies helped to apprehend the narrow windows of miRNA; target correlations indicating their role in stress response and development. This data was compiled and developed as a web server, ARMOUR, which is now being used to select miRNAs for functional analysis. The studies have indicated novel outcomes that can be utilized to prepare “climate smart plants”, which will be an enduring step to fight against abiotic stresses mediated decline in crop yields in rice.