Triticum aestivum, known as bread wheat, is among the most widely grown and economically crucial cereal crops on a global scale. Wheat plants grow and thrive ideally in the temperature range between 20°C to 25°C. It is a source of dietary carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it a nutritionally important staple food for a significant portion of the world's population. However, the implications of stripe rust infection on the growth of crop leads to reduced kernel size and loss in grain yield. It is widely recognized that genomes undergo extensive transcription, that gives rise to both coding genes and non-coding RNA (ncRNAs) that are encoded by specific regions in the genome.
Circular RNA (CircRNA) are members of the class of long ncRNAs that are created when back-splicing creates a covalent link between the splice acceptor on one end and the splice donor on the other end.
CircRNAs can act as microRNA sponges, sequestering microRNAs and preventing them from degrading or inhibiting target mRNAs.
By acting as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), circRNAs can regulate the expression of genes involved in stress responses. These circRNAs play significant roles in various biological processes, including their involvement in the defense mechanisms against biotic stress in wheat.
In our study, we conducted circular RNA analysis on two cultivars of wheat, viz., PBW343 (susceptible) and FLW30 (resistant), to identify different circular RNAs under control (mock-inoculated) and treatment (Pst treated) conditions across three different time durations (12, 48, and 72 hours).
The TaCircRNADb serves as a valuable resource for circular RNAs in Triticum aestivum, that exhibit specificity towards biotic stress. The database contains predicted miRNA targets within circRNAs, followed by mRNA targets regulated by these miRNAs, and their functional annotation. This study represents the initial attempt to create a database specifically for circular RNAs in wheat. Until now, there has been no database dedicated to circular RNAs in wheat.
