Genome-wide analysis of developmentally regulated microRNAs in Hami melon fruit

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a family of small endogenous, non-coding RNAs that play critical regulatory roles in plant growth, development, and environmental stress responses. Although Hami melon is an attractive model for valuable biological traits analysis, the role of miRNA action in the fruit development and ripening remains largely unknown. Here, we performed small RNA sequencing to investigate the Hami melon miRNA profiles at four fruit developmental stages Results: Small RNA sequencing yielded raw reads in eight libraries. miRNAs expression profiles were variable at different fruit developmental stages. The expression levels of five known miRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Among the identified miRNAs, several miRNAs showed developmentally regulated and differentially expressed pattern during fruit development. Conclusions: Our results present a first comprehensive set of identification and characterization of Hami melon fruit miRNAs and their potential targets, which provide valuable basis for further research on the critical role of miRNAs in melon fruit development. Overall design: Eight samples, including eight Hami melon flesh mesocarp samples for two separate small RNA sequencing to obtain biological replicates.