Phylogenetic Analysis Reveals the Conservation of micro RNA 171 genes in Diverse Fruit Species

Phylogenetic Analysis Reveals the Conservation of micro RNA 171 genes in Diverse Fruit Species

The MicroRNAs are endogenous non-coding small RNAs about 21 nucleotides in length, play an important role in physiological and biochemical processes. The evolutionary conservation or functional diversification of miRNA171 family members remains indescribable. In this study we used bioinformatics approach to show the phylogenetic relationship among miR171 precursor and mature sequences from three diverse fruit crops viz., papaya, citrus, grapes and model plant Arabidopsis. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that mature miR171 has the high conservation in their nucleotide sequences, whereas the precursor miR171 sequences evolved in a lineage specific manner. Mature miR171 are derived from multiple members of miR171 genes and regulate many aspects of plant development by modulating their target genes. Results of this study showed a lead for further in depth investigation of the functional characteristics of miRNAs in fruit crops. .