Identification of microRNAs related to the genetic male sterility of Chinese cabbage using high-throughput sequencing

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) negatively regulate gene expression, and play important roles in growth and development, cell proliferation, apoptosis, signal transduction, and in biotic and abiotic stress responses. In plants, miRNAs also play an important role in pollen development. However, to date, few pollen development-related miRNAs have been identified. In this study we used the fertile and sterile buds of an AB line of Chinese cabbage, 'AB03', as the test material, and constructed small RNA libraries. Using high-throughput sequencing, we screened 19 differentially expressed miRNAs, obtained 46 novel miRNAs and predicted 200 target genes of 30 miRNA families. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR verified that the expressions of all 19 differentially expressed miRNAs were basically consistent with the sequencing results. Our study identified miRNAs that might participate in pollen development and provided the relationship between miRNAs and their target genes, which might form the theoretical basis for future research.