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miRNA-Based Genetic Engineering for Crop Improvement and Production of Functional Foods

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Functional Cereals and Cereal Foods

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Abstract

microRNA, also known as miRNA, is a class of short, non-coding, endogenous RNAs with a length of 20–22 nucleotides that have been discovered to negatively regulate gene expression. Remarkable progress in the field of bioinformatics has permitted the study of miRNA regulation and take advantage of its enormous potential in crop improvement. miRNA has been discovered to govern a variety of biochemical and molecular processes that influence plant growth and architecture. Furthermore, numerous evidences have demonstrated that miRNA families play an important role in inducing drought tolerance, nematode resistance, virus resistance, nutrient deprivation tolerance, salinity tolerance and contributing towards improvement of various agronomic traits, such as increased grain yield, flower development, fruit development and parthenocarpy in various agricultural crops. As a result, miRNAs have been regarded as “master controllers” in crop improvement. However, because of an emerging technology, role of miRNAs in production of functional foods has been limited. We have reviewed different aspects of miRNA in this chapter, offering a thorough grasp of trait regulation in crop plants by miRNAs and their role in crop improvement. The technique has been concluded as a promising tool for crop genetic engineering.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Horticulture and Forestry, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

    Deepansh Sharma

  2. School of Agricultural Biotechnology, College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India

    Vanshika, Ajinder Kaur & Pooja Manchanda

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  1. Deepansh Sharma
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  2. Vanshika
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  3. Ajinder Kaur
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  4. Pooja Manchanda
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Correspondence to Ajinder Kaur .

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  1. Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA

    Sneh Punia Bangar

  2. Department of Food Science and Technology, Chaudhary Devi Lal University, Sirsa, Haryana, India

    Anil Kumar Siroha

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Sharma, D., Vanshika, Kaur, A., Manchanda, P. (2022). miRNA-Based Genetic Engineering for Crop Improvement and Production of Functional Foods. In: Punia Bangar, S., Kumar Siroha, A. (eds) Functional Cereals and Cereal Foods. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05611-6_14

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