文摘
Key message High-throughput sequencing and subsequent analysis indicated that miRNAs play crucial roles in floral thermogenesis of Magnolia denudata flowers. Abstract Animal-like thermogenic activity in flowers has been reported in several families of seed plants. Many studies have explored the ecological significance of thermogenesis in pollination biology; however, the molecular mechanisms regulating floral thermogenesis remain unclear. To characterize the roles of miRNA in floral thermogenesis, we analyzed miRNA expression in Magnolia denudata flowers during thermogenic and non-thermogenic stages. High-throughput sequencing and subsequent analysis revealed 82 conserved and 32 novel miRNAs in M. denudata flowers. A total of 187 EST sequences were predicted to be targets of 63 miRNAs. The target genes fell into 15 KOG functional classes and were involved in 25 KEGG pathways, suggesting that miRNAs play extensive regulatory roles in biological processes of M. denudata flowers. Among the identified miRNAs, 17 were differentially expressed between thermogenic and non-thermogenic stages and thus were thought to play roles in regulating floral thermogenesis in M. denudata. GO enrichment analysis revealed that target genes of these thermogenesis-related miRNAs were enriched in the functional groups ‘polyprenyl transferase activity-and ‘photosynthetic electron transport- Considering the important roles of polyprenyl transferase in the respiratory chain and the fact that floral thermogenesis of M. denudata flowers is associated with sunlight, we can infer that miRNAs play crucial roles in floral thermogenesis of M. denudata flowers by regulating cellular respiration and light reactions.