Leaf rust responsive miRNA mediated regulation of Puccinia triticina genes during host pathogen interaction in wheat

MicroRNAs are associated with immunity and are known to modulate pathogen virulence in cross-kingdom interactions in plants. In the present study, 321 known wheat miRNAs representing 120 families were predicted in response to infection with leaf rust pathogen, Puccinia triticina. Among total known miRNAs, 54 unique miRNAs were present in resistant and 24 in susceptible wheat genotypes. 123 targets of unique known host miRNAs were predicted in P. triticina, where 30 targets were predicted for S96 and 93 for R96 unique miRNAs. The functional categories of the genes in S96 were WD40-repeat-containing domain, armadillo-type fold, nucleic acid-binding and OB-fold while in R96, the functional categories of the genes were aspartic peptidase domain, glycoside hydrolase, chitinase II, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, serine/threonine protein kinase and ribonuclease H-like domain. Thus, unique known miRNAs from susceptible and resistant wheat genotypes targeting different sets of P. triticina genes involved in important biological processes and in virulence suggest that miRNAs play an important role during leaf rust infection in wheat.