2021-BBSRC/NSF-BIO An autonomous registry system for plant microRNAs

MicroRNAs tiny RNAs that function to regulate other genes in animals and plants. In plants, microRNAs are involved in many biological processes, including development of different plant tissues, and the mechanisms by which plants adapt and respond to stress. In crops, microRNAs have been found to be involved in fertility and yield, and are therefore important molecules to understand for food and agriculture.

The past two decades have seen the discovery of thousands of different microRNA genes. When a new microRNA is discovered, it is vital that it is catalogued, named, and information about it made available to the scientific community. A single central registry and database has existed since 2004 to name and catalogue microRNAs: miRBase (https://www.mirbase.org/). However, the processes by which microRNAs have been named and catalogued have been, until now, time-consuming and labour-intensive. Recently, the pace at which microRNAs have been discovered has overwhelmed the capacity of miRBase to deal with them. Yet the need for a single trusted resource is more acute than ever.

This proposal aims to design and implement a system by which new microRNAs are automatically assessed for the quality of their annotation, named, and deposited in the public miRBase database, focussing first on plant microRNAs. The tools that we produce to annotate new microRNAs will be made freely and publicly available, such that all microRNA biologists can use the same standards for microRNA discovery. This work will therefore enable the continued expansion of the microRNA field.