High-throughput sequencing of eggplant small RNAs

MiRNAs are a class of non-coding, small RNAs that play important roles in the regulation of gene expression. Although plant miRNAs have been extensively studied in model systems, less is known in other plants with limited genome sequence data, including eggplant (Solanum melongena L.). To identify miRNAs in eggplant and their response to Verticillium dahliae infection, a fungal pathogen for which effective cure methods and a clear understanding of its mechanisms are currently lacking, we deep-sequenced two small RNA (sRNA) libraries prepared from mocked and infected seedlings of eggplants. Specifically, 30,830,792 reads produced 7,716,328 unique small RNAs have been identified. Deep-sequenced two small RNA libraries prepared from mocked and Verticillium dahliae infected eggplant seedlings