MicroRNAs differential expression under submergence, drought and alternated stress in maize and teosinte

In this work, we performed high throughput sequencing of small RNA libraries in maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and teosinte (Zea mays ssp. parviglumis) to investigate the response mediated by miRNAs in these plants under control conditions, submergence, drought and alternated drought-submergence or submergence-drought stress. After Illumina sequencing of 8 small RNA libraries, we obtained from 16,139,354 to 46,522,229 raw reads across the libraries. Bioinformatic analysis identified 88 maize miRNAs and 76 miRNAs from other plants differentially expressed in maize and/or in teosinte in response to at least one of the treatments, and revealed that a larger set of miRNAs were regulated in maize than in teosinte in response to submergence and drought stress. MicroRNA expression profiling in the response to submergence, drought and alternated stress in maize and teosinte