MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are part of a novel mechanism of gene regulation that is active in plants under abiotic stress conditions. In the present study, 12 miRNAs were analysed to identify miRNAs differentially expressed in sugarcane subjected to cold stress (4 °C). The expression of miRNAs assayed by stem-loop RT-PCR showed that miR319 is up-regulated in sugarcane plantlets exposed to 4 °C for 24 h. The induction of miR319 expression during cold stress was observed in both roots and shoots. Sugarcane miR319 was also regulated by treatment with abscisic acid. Putative targets of this miRNA were identified and their expression levels were decreased in sugarcane plantlets exposed to cold. The cleavage sites of two targets were mapped using a 5' RACE PCR assay confirming the regulation of these genes by miR319. When sugarcane cultivars contrasting in cold tolerance were subjected to 4 °C, we observed up-regulation of miR319 and down-regulation of the targets in both varieties; however, the changes in expression were delayed in the cold-tolerant cultivar. These results suggest that differences in timing and levels of the expression of miR319 and its targets could be tested as markers for selection of cold-tolerant sugarcane cultivars.
© 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.