Identification and characterization of conserved miRNAs in lentil

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, noncoding, small RNA molecules consisting of 18-24 nucleotides (nts) that regulate target genes at the post-transcriptional level in plants. Also, this group of RNAs play a crucial role in development of plant, biological processes, cell proliferation and stress response. To date, no miRNAs have been identified in the lentil species although there are several reports on miRNAs in other legume species. Therefore, in this study, in order to identify and analysis of potential miRNAs and their target genes in lentil, total RNA from leaf tissue was extracted using with TRIzol method and was sequenced. Non-protein coding unigenes were identified and considered for candidates of miRNA precursor. Finally five miRNAs belonging to 5 highly conserved families were identified following a range of strict filtering criteria, designated as, lcu-miR156, lcu-miR166, lcu-miR167, lcu-miR171 and lcu-miR391. In addition, we predicted target mRNA genes form complementary base pair in seed region of miRNAs. Totally, due to the regulatory role of the identified miRNA on changing the range of downstream genes in the gene networks, it may be possible to use the identified microRNA as candidate genes in breeding programs aimed at improving the quality and quantity of lentil.