MicroRNAs as targets for engineering biofuel feedstock Sorghum

Abstract

Sorghum is a highly efficient C4 crop, with enormous potential as a biofuel feedstock. Fermentable sugars that accumulate in sorghum stalks, high biomass, drought tolerance and adaptability to diverse climates are some of the key attributes of sorghum. However, sustainable production of renewable fuels through large scale plantation of sorghum needs targeted research efforts at several fronts. One of the promising areas is manipulating gene expression to engineer traits-of-interest. In the recent past, microRNAs have emerged as important targets for engineering complex agronomical traits, including biomass yields, sugar accumulation, flowering time, drought tolerance, disease resistance, micronutrient homeostasis, etc., in several crop plants. Both homology-based bioinformatics, and experimental approaches viz. miRNA microarrays and small RNA sequencing have been utilised to gain insights into the role of miRNAs in regulating bioenergy-related traits in sorghum. Through this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the information available till date about the miRNA-related research in sorghum and propose the prospective directions for future endeavours in this area.