Analysis of Homologous Regions of Small RNAs and Reveals the Conservation of Microsynteny among Rice Crop-Wild Relatives.

are small non-coding RNAs that play important roles in a wide range of biological processes in plant growth and development. (involved in drought, low temperature, and nitrogen and copper (Cu) starvation) and (differentially expressed in response to environmental stresses such as copper, light, mechanical stress, dehydration, cold, reactive oxygen species, and drought) belong to conserved families that either negatively or positively regulate their target genes. In the present study, we identified the homologs of and in and its six wild progenitors, three non- species, and one dicot species. We analyzed the 100 kb segments harboring homologs from 11 genomes to obtain a comprehensive view of their community evolution around these loci in the farthest (distant) relatives of rice. Our study showed that mature and were highly conserved among all species. Comparative genomics analyses also revealed that the microsynteny of the 100 kb region surrounding was only conserved in spp.; disrupted in maize, and wheat; and completely lost in . There were deletions, rearrangements, and translocations within the 100 kb segments in spp., but the overall microsynteny of the region was maintained. The phylogenetic analyses of the precursor regions of all under study revealed a bimodal clade of common origin. This comparative analysis of miRNA involved in abiotic stress tolerance in plants provides a powerful tool for future research. Crop wild relatives (CWRs) offer multiple traits with potential to decrease the amount of yield loss owing to biotic and abiotic stresses. Using a comparative genomics approach, the exploration of CWRs as a source of tolerance to these stresses by understanding their evolution can be further used to leverage their yield potential.