Identification of microRNAs in response to blue light irridiation by high-throughput sequencing in Saccharina japonica. Saccharina japonica

Blue light (BL) is an important environmental factor that plays critical role in algae growth and development. Saccharina japonica, as a typical brown alga, showed greatly affected by BL. However, little has been known about the regulation pathway of BL response in algae. microRNAs (miRNAs) participated in great number of life process regulation and may be also involved in the BL response in plants. To identify miRNAs from S. japonica and characterize their probable roles in BL response, we sequenced and compared small RNA libraries under BL irradiation and dark conditions. 20 potential novel miRNAs were identified from S. japonica. Bioinformatics analysis of the miRNAs indicated that their potential targets were involved in various biological processes. Based on differential expression analysis and qRT-PCR experiment, some probable miRNAs related to BL responses were selected for further verification of their function, such as miR398. Our results demonstrated that miRNAs might play vital roles in metabolism of S. japonica, including BL responses. Overall design: microRNA profiling of two samples treated by blue light (BL) and dark (DK) by high-throughput sequencing