MicroRNA roles in plant abiotic stress responses: Mechanisms and innovations

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that serve as pivotal regulators of gene expression, playing crucial roles in plant growth, development, and stress adaptation. In recent years, the focus on miRNAs has intensified due to their involvement in complex regulatory networks during plant responses to abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity, heat, and nutrient deficiency. Research has uncovered how miRNAs fine-tune expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, highlighting the intricacy of their regulatory roles. Nonetheless, the current understanding of miRNA-mediated interactions and pathways remains incomplete, with ongoing debates about their full mechanistic potential. Significant advancements have been made, yet the field lacks comprehensive insight into the translational applications of miRNA technology in improving plant stress resilience and sustainable agriculture.

This Research Topic aims to elucidate the mechanistic roles of miRNAs in abiotic stress response, seeking to uncover their biotechnological potential in breeding stress-resilient crops. With a focus on molecular interactions and regulatory pathways, this Research Topic intends to deepen our understanding of miRNA functions and explore innovative approaches in utilizing miRNA technology for enhanced plant adaptation.

To gather further insights into the roles of miRNAs in plant stress responses and innovations in their application, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Identification and functional characterization of stress-responsive miRNAs
• miRNA-mediated regulation of transcriptional gene silencing and epigenetic modifications
• miRNA-target interactions and signaling pathways in stress conditions
• Cross-talk between miRNAs and other small RNAs or hormonal pathways
• Computational modeling of miRNA networks in stress adaptation
• Biotechnological applications of miRNAs: from transgenics to gene editing
• Comparative analyses of miRNA expressions in different plant genotypes
• Integration of multi-omic data to decipher miRNA roles
• Evolutionary conservation of miRNAs in relation to stress adaptation

In addition, special attention is given to studies providing mechanistic insights with robust quantitative analyses, experimental validations, and exploration of bioinformatic predictions in a functional context.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: miRNA, microRNA, plant abiotic stress, stress-responsive miRNAs, plant stress resilience, gene expression regulation, small non-coding RNA, plant molecular biology, crop improvement, sustainable agriculture, drought stress in plants, salinity stress, heat stress, nutrient deficiency, miRNA-mediated regulation, transcriptional gene silencing, post-transcriptional gene regulation, epigenetic modifications in plants, miRNA-target interactions, plant signaling pathways, hormonal pathways in plants, computational modeling, miRNA networks, plant bioinformatics, biotechnological applications of miRNA, plant transgenics, gene editing in plants, CRISPR in plants, comparative genomics, plant genotypes, multi-omics, transcriptomics, plant evolution, stress adaptation mechanisms, functional characterization of miRNAs, molecular breeding, stress-resilient crops.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.