MiR164 is involved in delaying senescence of strawberry (Fragaria ananassa) fruit by negatively regulating NAC transcription factor genes under low temperature

Resumo

The miRNAs and their targets involved in senescence of strawberry fruit (Fragaria ananassa L. cv. Zhangji) were analyzed in the present study. In the previous work, three members of miR164 family, mdmmiR164d_ 1ss21AC, mdm-miR164e and mdm-miR164f_1ss21TA, and three of their targets, NAC domain transcriptional regulator superfamily protein, NAC domain containing protein 38 and NAC domain containing protein 87 had been identified by high-throughput sequencing and degradome analysis. In the process of fruit senescence from 0 to 48 h at 4°C storage, the relative levels of mdm-miR164e and mdmmiR164d_1ss21AC expression were significantly increased resulting in decreased expression of NAC genes, and delayed senescence of strawberry fruits. These results suggested that miR164 was involved in strawberry fruit senescence by negatively mediating the expression of NAC transcription factors.