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Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato

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A special issue of Genes (ISSN 2073-4425). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Genetics and Genomics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 May 2022) | Viewed by 23735

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Dr. Shaopei Gao

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College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: sweet potato; biotechnology; molecular biology; phytohormone
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Dr. Mingku Zhu

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Institute of Integrative Plant Biology, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: sweet potato; salt tolerance; transcription factors; regulatory mechanisms
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Dear Colleagues,

Providing ample food for the ever-growing population is a major challenge of our time, especially in rapidly changing climate conditions. Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam., Convolvulaceae), among the most widely cultivated staple crops worldwide, is a valuable source of human food, animal feed and industrial raw material. Sweet potato is high in nutritional value, exceeding most other staple foods in vitamins A and C, β-carotene, anthocyanins, calcium and dietary fiber. Consequently, sweet potato could be employed as an excellent source of natural health-promoting compounds. In recent years, sweet potato has been in the spotlight of agricultural biotechnology and has been considered as a biological model for storage root formation. Although studies on genetics and genomics have contributed to progress on sweet potato research during the past decade, there is still a gap in knowledge compared with other crops. This Special Issue in Genes on “Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato” aims to integrate recent research in sweet potato biology by expanding our knowledge in various fields, such as genetics, molecular biology, functional genomics, biotic and abiotic stress responses, and omics studies.

Dr. Shaopei Gao
Dr. Mingku Zhu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

sweet potato
functional genomics
molecular biology
agricultural biotechnology

Published Papers (12 papers)

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5 pages, 969 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Genetic and Genomic Research on Sweet Potato for Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security

by Yao Xiao, Mingku Zhu and Shaopei Gao

Genes 2022, 13(10), 1833; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13101833 - 11 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2342

Abstract

Food security is the main challenge to the developing world, especially in the least developed countries [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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Research

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16 pages, 4814 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Characterization of Nitrogenase Reductase (nifH) Genes in the Sweet Potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] and Its Wild Ancestors

by Zengzhi Si, Chong Wang, Mingming Zhao, Zhixin Ji, Yake Qiao and Lianjun Wang

Genes 2022, 13(8), 1428; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13081428 - 11 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1795

Abstract

The sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is an important and widely grown crop, and the nitrogenase reductase (nifH) gene is the most widely sequenced marker gene used to identify nitrogen-fixing bacteria and archaea. There have been many examples of the isolation of the diazotrophic endophytes in sweet potatoes, and there has been no report on whether sweet potatoes and their wild ancestors harbored nifH genes. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of nifH genes has been conducted on these species by using bioinformatics and molecular biology methods. A total of 20, 19 and 17 nifH genes were identified for the first time in sweet potatoes, I. trifida and I. triloba, respectively. Based on a phylogenetic analysis, all of the nifH genes, except for g10233.t1, itf14g14040.t1 and itb14g15470.t1, were clustered into five independent clades: I, II, III, IV and V. The nifH genes clustered in the same phylogenetic branch showed a more similar distribution of conserved motifs and exons–introns than those of the other ones. All of the identified genes were further mapped on the 15 chromosomes of the sweet potato, I. trifida and I. triloba. No segmental duplication was detected in each genome of three Ipomoea species, and 0, 8 and 7 tandemly duplicated gene pairs were detected in the genome of the sweet potato, I. trifida and I. triloba, respectively. Synteny analysis between the three Ipomoea species revealed that there were 7, 7 and 8 syntenic gene pairs of nifH genes detected between the sweet potato and I. trifida, between the sweet potato and I. triloba and between I. trifida and I. triloba, respectively. All of the duplicated and syntenic nifH genes were subjected to purifying selection inside duplicated genomic elements during speciation, except for the tandemly duplicated gene pair itf11g07340.t2_itf11g07340.t3, which was subjected to positive selection. Different expression profiles were detected in the sweet potato, I. trifida and I. triloba. According to the above results, four nifH genes of the sweet potato (g950, g16683, g27094 and g33987) were selected for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis in two sweet potato cultivars (Eshu 15 and Long 9) under nitrogen deficiency (N0) and normal (N1) conditions. All of them were upregulated in the N1 treatment and were consistent with the analysis of the RNA-seq data. We hope that these results will provide new insights into the nifH genes in the sweet potato and its wild ancestors and will contribute to the molecular breeding of sweet potatoes in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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21 pages, 7186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Physiological Coping Strategies and Quality Substances in Purple SweetPotato under Different Salinity Levels

by Xin Wang, Wei-Wei Dai, Chong Liu, Guang-Xi Zhang, Wei-Han Song, Chen Li, Yuenden-Ci Yangchen, Run-Fei Gao, Yu-Yu Chen, Hui Yan, Wei Tang, Meng Kou, Yun-Gang Zhang, Bo Yuan and Qiang Li

Genes 2022, 13(8), 1350; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13081350 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1500

Abstract

Although salinity stress is one of the principal abiotic stresses affecting crop yield, a suitable concentration of NaCl has proven to be useful for increasing crop quality. This study used low salinity (34 mmol/L NaCl) and high salinity (85 mmol/L) to cultivate purple sweetpotato. Using transcriptomics and metabolomics to profile the pathway indicated that glycometabolism, secondary metabolite biosynthesis and the starch catabolic process were the significant pathways under the salinity stress. Further research showed that purple sweetpotato could regulate genes related to the regulation of the cellular Na⁺, K⁺, and other ions concentration in response to the low salinity tolerance, but loses this ability under high salinity. Meanwhile, under low salinity, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and their related gene expression are maintained at a high level. The low salinity influences the monosaccharide composition as well as the content and regulation of genes related to starch synthesis. Quality analysis showed that the low salinity could increase the starch content and influence the amylopectin biosynthesis. It suggested that low salinity promotes substance accumulation. High salinity could increase the anthocyanins biosynthesis and low salinity had a significant impact on phenolic acid and flavonol. Finally, the gene expression levels also prove the low salinity could change the composition and content level of the purple sweetpotato. This study showed that an appropriate concentration of NaCl can be used as an elicitor for application in purple sweetpotato planting. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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21 pages, 5401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Transcriptome and Interaction Protein Analysis Reveals the Mechanism of IbMPK3-Overexpressing Transgenic Sweet Potato Response to Low-Temperature Stress

by Rong Jin, Tao Yu, Pengyu Guo, Ming Liu, Jiaquan Pan, Peng Zhao, Qiangqiang Zhang, Xiaoya Zhu, Jing Wang, Aijun Zhang, Qinghe Cao and Zhonghou Tang

Genes 2022, 13(7), 1247; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13071247 - 14 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1964

Abstract

The sweet potato is very sensitive to low temperature. Our previous study revealed that IbMPK3-overexpressing transgenic sweet potato (M3) plants showed stronger low-temperature stress tolerance than wild-type plants (WT). However, the mechanism of M3 plants in response to low-temperature stress is unclear. To further analyze how IbMPK3 mediates low-temperature stress in sweet potato, WT and M3 plants were exposed to low-temperature stress for 2 h and 12 h for RNA-seq analysis, whereas normal conditions were used as a control (CK). In total, 3436 and 8718 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in WT at 2 h (vs. CK) and 12 h (vs. CK) under low-temperature stress, respectively, whereas 1450 and 9291 DEGs were detected in M3 plants, respectively. Many common and unique DEGs were analyzed in WT and M3 plants. DEGs related to low temperature were involved in Ca²⁺ signaling, MAPK cascades, the reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling pathway, hormone transduction pathway, encoding transcription factor families (bHLH, NAC, and WRKY), and downstream stress-related genes. Additionally, more upregulated genes were associated with the MAPK pathway in M3 plants during short-term low-temperature stress (CK vs. 2 h), and more upregulated genes were involved in secondary metabolic synthesis in M3 plants than in the WT during the long-time low-temperature stress treatment (CK vs. 12 h), such as fatty acid biosynthesis and elongation, glutathione metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, carotenoid biosynthesis, and zeatin biosynthesis. Moreover, the interaction proteins of IbMPK3 related to photosynthesis, or encoding CaM, NAC, and ribosomal proteins, were identified using yeast two-hybrid (Y2H). This study may provide a valuable resource for elucidating the sweet potato low-temperature stress resistance mechanism, as well as data to support molecular-assisted breeding with the IbMPK3 gene. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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14 pages, 3604 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Reveals the Genes Involved in Storage Root Expansion in Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.)

by Weihan Song, Hui Yan, Meng Ma, Meng Kou, Chen Li, Wei Tang, Yicheng Yu, Qixian Hao, Thanhliem Nguyen, Xin Wang, Zhenyi Zhang, Chang You, Runfei Gao, Yungang Zhang and Qiang Li

Genes 2022, 13(7), 1156; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13071156 - 27 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1919

Abstract

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) is recognized as one of the most important root crops in the world by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The yield of sweetpotato is closely correlated with the rate of storage root (SR) formation and expansion. At present, most of the studies on sweetpotato SR expansion are focused on the physiological mechanism. To explore the SR expansion mechanism of sweetpotato, we performed transcriptome sequencing of SR harvested at 60, 90, 120, and 150 days after planting (DAP) to analyze two sweetpotato lines, Xuzishu 8 and its crossing progenies named Xu 18-192, which were selected from an F₁ segregation population of Xuzishu 8 and Meiguohong, in which SR expansion was delayed significantly. A total of 57,043 genes were produced using transcriptome sequencing, of which 1312 were differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in four SR growth periods of the sweetpotato lines. The combination of the KEGG and trend analysis revealed several key candidate genes involved in SR expansion. The SBEI gene involved in starch metabolism, and transcription factors ARF6, NF-YB3 and NF-YB10 were all significantly up-regulated during SR expansion. The data from this study provide insights into the complex mechanisms of SR formation and expansion in sweetpotato and identify new candidate genes for increasing the yield of sweetpotato. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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12 pages, 3584 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Overexpression of an Inositol Phosphorylceramide Glucuronosyltransferase Gene IbIPUT1 Inhibits Na⁺ Uptake in Sweet Potato Roots

by Chong Liu, Mingku Zhu and Jian Sun

Genes 2022, 13(7), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13071140 - 24 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1642

Abstract

IPUT1 is a glycosyltransferase capable of synthesizing the glycosyl inositol phosphorylceramide (GIPC) sphingolipid. The GIPC sphingolipid is a Na⁺ receptor on cell membranes which can sense extracellular Na⁺ concentrations, promote the increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentrations, and plays critical roles in maintaining intracellular Na⁺ balance. Therefore, the IPUT1 gene plays an important role in the genetic improvement of crop salt tolerance. Herein, the IbIPUT1 gene, which encodes an ortholog of Arabidopsis AtIPUT1, from sweet potato was cloned. Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated in vivo transgenic technology, non-invasive micro-measuring technology (NMT) and Na⁺ fluorescence imaging technology were then combined to quickly study the potential function of IbIPUT1 in salt tolerance. The data showed that IbIPUT1 was involved in the regulation of root cell Na⁺ balance, and the overexpression of IbIPUT1 could not promote sweet potato root cell Na⁺ efflux under salt stress, but it could significantly inhibit the Na⁺ absorption of root cells, thereby reducing the accumulation of Na⁺ in root cells under salt stress. Additionally, Ca²⁺ efflux in transgenic root cells was slightly higher than that in control roots under salt stress. Collectively, an efficient transgenic method for gene function studies was established, and our results suggested that IbIPUT1 acts as a candidate gene for the genetic enhancement of sweet potato salt tolerance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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15 pages, 3980 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Sweetpotato Voltage-Gated K⁺ Channel β Subunit, KIbB1, Positively Regulates Low-K⁺ and High-Salinity Tolerance by Maintaining Ion Homeostasis

by Hong Zhu, Xue Yang, Qiyan Li, Jiayu Guo, Tao Ma, Shuyan Liu, Shunyu Lin, Yuanyuan Zhou, Chunmei Zhao, Jingshan Wang and Jiongming Sui

Genes 2022, 13(6), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13061100 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1597

Abstract

Voltage-gated K⁺ channel β subunits act as a structural component of K_in channels in different species. The β subunits are not essential to the channel activity but confer different properties through binding the T1 domain or the C-terminal of α subunits. Here, we studied the physiological function of a novel gene, KIbB1, encoding a voltage-gated K⁺ channel β subunit in sweetpotato. The transcriptional level of this gene was significantly higher in the low-K⁺-tolerant line than that in the low-K⁺-sensitive line under K⁺ deficiency conditions. In Arabidopsis, KIbB1 positively regulated low-K⁺ tolerance through regulating K⁺ uptake and translocation. Under high-salinity stress, the growth conditions of transgenic lines were obviously better than wild typr (WT). Enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging were activated in transgenic plants. Accordingly, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and the accumulation of ROS such as H₂O₂ and O²⁻ were lower in transgenic lines under salt stress. It was also found that the overexpression of KIbB1 enhanced K⁺ uptake, but the translocation from root to shoot was not affected under salt stress. This demonstrates that KIbB1 acted as a positive regulator in high-salinity stress resistance through regulating Na⁺ and K⁺ uptake to maintain K⁺/Na⁺ homeostasis. These results collectively suggest that the mechanisms of KIbB1 in regulating K⁺ were somewhat different between low-K⁺ and high-salinity conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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15 pages, 5132 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antioxidant Activity of Phenolic Extraction from Different Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) Blades and Comparative Transcriptome Analysis Reveals Differentially Expressed Genes of Phenolic Metabolism in Two Genotypes

by Peitao Chen, Hairong Ran, Jiaxin Li, Jikai Zong, Qingqing Luo, Tengfei Zhao, Zhihua Liao, Yueli Tang and Yufan Fu

Genes 2022, 13(6), 1078; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13061078 - 16 Jun 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2123

Abstract

Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.), which has a complex genome, is one of the most important storage root crops in the world. Sweetpotato blades are considered as a potential source of natural antioxidants owing to their high phenolic content with powerful free radical scavenging ability. The molecular mechanism of phenolic metabolism in sweetpotato blades has been seldom reported thus far. In this work, 23 sweetpotato genotypes were used for the analysis of their antioxidant activity, total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). ‘Shangshu19’ and ‘Wan1314-6’ were used for RNA-seq. The results showed that antioxidant activity, TPC and TFC of 23 genotypes had significant difference. There was a significant positive correlation between TPC, TFC and antioxidant activity. The RNA-seq analysis results of two genotypes, ‘Shangshu19’ and ‘Wan1314-6’, which had significant differences in antioxidant activity, TPC and TFC, showed that there were 7810 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the two genotypes. Phenylpropanoid biosynthesis was the main differential pathway, and upregulated genes were mainly annotated to chlorogenic acid, flavonoid and lignin biosynthesis pathways. Our results establish a theoretical and practical basis for sweetpotato breeding with antioxidant activity and phenolics in the blades and provide a theoretical basis for the study of phenolic metabolism engineering in sweetpotato blade. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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17 pages, 6977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genome-Wide Identification and Expression Analysis of Expansin Gene Family in the Storage Root Development of Diploid Wild Sweetpotato Ipomoea trifida

by Ming Li, Lianfu Chen, Tao Lang, Huijuan Qu, Cong Zhang, Junyan Feng, Zhigang Pu, Meifang Peng and Honghui Lin

Genes 2022, 13(6), 1043; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13061043 - 10 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1879

Abstract

Expansins play important roles in root growth and development, but investigation of the expansin gene family has not yet been reported in Ipomoea trifida, and little is known regarding storage root (SR) development. In this work, we identified a total of 37 expansins (ItrEXPs) in our previously reported SR-forming I. trifida strain Y22 genome, which included 23 ItrEXPAs, 4 ItrEXPBs, 2 ItrEXLAs and 8 ItrEXLBs. The phylogenetic relationship, genome localization, subcellular localization, gene and protein structure, promoter cis-regulating elements, and protein interaction network were systematically analyzed to reveal the possible roles of ItrEXPs in the SR development of I. trifida. The gene expression profiling in Y22 SR development revealed that ItrEXPAs and ItrEXLBs were down-regulated, and ItrEXPBs were up-regulated while ItrEXLAs were not obviously changed during the critical period of SR expansion, and might be beneficial to SR development. Combining the tissue-specific expression in young SR transverse sections of Y22 and sweetpotato tissue, we deduced that ItrEXLB05, ItrEXLB07 and ItrEXLB08 might be the key genes for initial SR formation and enlargement, and ItrEXLA02 might be the key gene for root growth and development. This work provides new insights into the functions of the expansin gene family members in I. trifida, especially for EXLA and EXLB subfamilies genes in SR development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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13 pages, 1370 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of miRNAs in Response to Sweet Potato Weevil (Cylas formicarius) Infection by sRNA Sequencing

by Jian Lei, Yuqin Mei, Xiaojie Jin, Yi Liu, Lianjun Wang, Shasha Chai, Xianliang Cheng and Xinsun Yang

Genes 2022, 13(6), 981; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13060981 - 30 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1690

Abstract

The sweet potato weevil (Cylas formicarius) is an important pest in the growing and storage of sweet potatoes. It is a common pest in the sweet potato production areas of southern China, causing serious harm to the development of the sweet potato industry. For the existing cultivars in China and abroad, there is no sweet potato variety with complete resistance to the sweet potato weevil. Thus, understanding the regulation mechanisms of sweet potato weevil resistance is the prerequisite for cultivating sweet potato varieties that are resistant to the sweet potato weevil. However, very little progress has been made in this field. In this study, we inoculated adult sweet potato weevils into sweet potato tubers. The infected sweet potato tubers were collected at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h. Then, a miRNA library was constructed for Eshu 6 and Guang 87 sweet potato tubers infected for different lengths of time. A total of 407 known miRNAs and 298 novel miRNAs were identified. A total of 174 differentially expressed miRNAs were screened out from the known miRNAs, and 247 differentially expressed miRNAs were screened out from the new miRNAs. Moreover, the targets of the differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted and their network was further investigated through GO analysis and KEGG analysis using our previous transcriptome data. More importantly, we screened 15 miRNAs and their target genes for qRT-PCR verification to confirm the reliability of the high-throughput sequencing data, which indicated that these miRNAs were detected and most of the expression results were consistent with the sequencing results. These results provide theoretical and data-based resources for the identification of miRNAs in response to sweet potato weevil infection and an analysis of the molecular regulatory mechanisms involved in insect resistance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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17 pages, 3479 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Blocking IbmiR319a Impacts Plant Architecture and Reduces Drought Tolerance in Sweet Potato

by Lei Ren, Tingting Zhang, Haixia Wu, Xinyu Ge, Huihui Wan, Shengyong Chen, Zongyun Li, Daifu Ma and Aimin Wang

Genes 2022, 13(3), 404; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13030404 - 24 Feb 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1888

Abstract

MicroRNA319 (miR319) plays a key role in plant growth, development, and multiple resistance by repressing the expression of targeted TEOSINTE BRANCHED/CYCLOIDEA/PCF (TCP) genes. Two members, IbmiR319a and IbmiR319c, were discovered in the miR319 gene family in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam). Here, we focused on the biological function and potential molecular mechanism of the response of IbmiR319a to drought stress in sweet potato. Blocking IbmiR319a in transgenic sweet potato (MIM319) resulted in a slim and tender phenotype and greater sensitivity to drought stress. Microscopic observations revealed that blocking IbmiR319a decreased the cell width and increased the stomatal distribution in the adaxial leaf epidermis, and also increased the intercellular space in the leaf and petiole. We also found that the lignin content was reduced, which led to increased brittleness in MIM319. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of key genes in the lignin biosynthesis pathway were much lower in the MIM319 lines than in the wild type. Ectopic expression of IbmiR319a-targeted genes IbTCP11 and IbTCP17 in Arabidopsis resulted in similar phenotypes to MIM319. We also showed that the expression of IbTCP11 and IbTCP17 was largely induced by drought stress. Transcriptome analysis indicated that cell growth-related pathways, such as plant hormonal signaling, were significantly downregulated with the blocking of IbmiR319a. Taken together, our findings suggest that IbmiR319a affects plant architecture by targeting IbTCP11/17 to control the response to drought stress in sweet potato. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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16 pages, 4193 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Molecular Characterization and Target Prediction of Candidate miRNAs Related to Abiotic Stress Responses and/or Storage Root Development in Sweet Potato

by Li Sun, Yiyu Yang, Hong Pan, Jiahao Zhu, Mingku Zhu, Tao Xu, Zongyun Li and Tingting Dong

Genes 2022, 13(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13010110 - 6 Jan 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2084

Abstract

Sweet potato is a tuberous root crop with strong environmental stress resistance. It is beneficial to study its storage root formation and stress responses to identify sweet potato stress- and storage-root-thickening-related regulators. Here, six conserved miRNAs (miR156g, miR157d, miR158a-3p, miR161.1, miR167d and miR397a) and six novel miRNAs (novel 104, novel 120, novel 140, novel 214, novel 359 and novel 522) were isolated and characterized in sweet potato. Tissue-specific expression patterns suggested that miR156g, miR157d, miR158a-3p, miR167d, novel 359 and novel 522 exhibited high expression in fibrous roots or storage roots and were all upregulated in response to storage-root-related hormones (indole acetic acid, IAA; zeaxanthin, ZT; abscisic acid, ABA; and gibberellin, GAs). The expression of miR156g, miR158a-3p, miR167d, novel 120 and novel 214 was induced or reduced dramatically by salt, dehydration and cold or heat stresses. Moreover, these miRNAs were all upregulated by ABA, a crucial hormone modulator in regulating abiotic stresses. Additionally, the potential targets of the twelve miRNAs were predicted and analyzed. Above all, these results indicated that these miRNAs might play roles in storage root development and/or stress responses in sweet potato as well as provided valuable information for the further investigation of the roles of miRNA in storage root development and stress responses. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Genomics of Sweet Potato)

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