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The Effect of 1,4‐dimethylnaphthalene on mir‐166 microRNA
Author(s) -
Alharbi Alhanouf,
Campbell Michael
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2018.32.1_supplement.525.16
Subject(s) - meristem , sprouting , microrna , dormancy , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , gene , biochemistry , horticulture , germination
The compound 1,4‐dimethylnaphthalene (DMN) is a natural growth inhibitor produced in dormant potatoes. It prevents potato tubers from sprouting by halting cell division. Recent studies have shown DMN prevents the growth of microbiomes present on the surface of stored potato tubers. However, the effect of DMN on small RNAs has not been yet investigated. The molecular miR 166 is a highly conserved class of microRNA in many plants. It is found in meristems, and it modulates transcripts of the III homeodomain‐leucine zipper family genes to control plant growth. High expression of miR 166 in Arabidopsis thaliana downregulated transcription factors such as Phavulota (PHV) and Phabulosa (PHB), suppressing growth of various parts of the plant. Therefore, we hypothesized that DMN increases miR 166 expression to inhibit sprouting. Potatoes were exposed to DMN or nuclease‐free water (control) for three days. Meristems were isolated, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at −80 C. RNAs were isolated using mir Vana kit (Thermofisher.com). Total RNA was measured and converted into cDNAs using stem‐loop primers, specifically made for mir166. TaqMan qtPCR was used to quantify the expression of mir166 in control and treated samples. The results obtained from TaqMan qtPCR showed that the expression of miR 166 in the treated sample was equivalent to the control sample, suggesting that DMN did not change miR 166 expression in dormant potatoes. Further experiments will determine if DMN alters miR 166 expression in potatoes after dormancy terminates. Support or Funding Information Supported in part by a grant from the 1,4‐Group, Meridian, ID This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .