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Identification of microRNAs associated with male flower bud development of Populus simonii × Populus nigra

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Abstract

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This paper for the first time provides insights into the important roles of the miRNAs during blooming period in Populus simonii × P. nigra.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that act as regulators of eukaryotic gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Using high-throughput sequencing technology, we analyzed miRNAs in Populus. simonii × P. nigra at three stages of male flower bud development (pollen at the tetrad, uninucleate, and binucleate stages, respectively), using shoot tips and vegetative buds as controls. In total, 305 differentially expressed miRNAs from 49 families were identified. Among the 49 families, 17 were highly or moderately conserved in other species. A higher number of differentially expressed miRNAs were down-regulated in male flower buds compared with vegetative organs. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that almost all miRNAs have the same expression pattern as in the cluster results. Gene ontology enrichment analysis provided an indication of the possible functions of the miRNAs in male flower bud development.

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Author contribution statement

CL conceived and designed the experiments. ZW, QL and TZ performed the experiments. ZW analyzed the data and wrote the paper. CL and JY revised the paper. All authors read and approved the final version of manuscript.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2013AA102704), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DL11EA02) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2572014AA34).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin, 150040, China

    Zhanchao Wang, Quangang Liu, Jingli Yang, Teng Zhang & Chenghao Li

  2. Library of Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin, 150040, China

    Xuemei Xu

Authors
  1. Zhanchao Wang
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  2. Quangang Liu
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  3. Xuemei Xu
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  4. Jingli Yang
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  5. Teng Zhang
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  6. Chenghao Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chenghao Li.

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Communicated by J. Carlson.

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Wang, Z., Liu, Q., Xu, X. et al. Identification of microRNAs associated with male flower bud development of Populus simonii × Populus nigra . Trees 29, 1329–1339 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1211-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1211-6

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