Noncoding elements in wheat defence response to fusarium head blight

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-00067-6

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major source of global food security while various stressors, including biotic and abiotic factors, directly affect its production. Among these stressors, Fusarium infection poses a significant risk, leading to severe yield losses, and compromising the overall quality of the crop. To understand the regulatory mechanisms modulating wheat’s response against Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) stress, a comprehensive analysis of the noncoding RNA profiles of two wheat varieties, Vida and Hank, was conducted. A dataset has been generated utilizing high throughput RNA sequencing (RNAseq) and small RNA sequencing (sRNAseq) technologies for identifying and characterizing microRNA (miRNA) and long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) profiles of these cultivars and the changes upon Fusarium infection. Our analysis revealed not only common but also cultivar- and condition-specific miRNAs and lncRNA transcripts, showing the unique regulatory responses exhibited by these wheat varieties under Fusarium stress. Furthermore, the functional properties of the identified miRNAs were investigated by identifying their putative coding sequence (CDS) targets. Additionally, the regulatory relationships between the putative miRNAs and lncRNAs were explored, providing a view of the complex molecular networks coordinating wheat’s response against Fusarium infection. The proposed regulatory network includes the dynamic interplay between miRNAs, CDS targets, and lncRNAs, offering insights into potential key players in the adaptive responses of wheat to biotic stressors.