Exploring the hidden world of muskmelon miRNAs: experimental hunts of computational predicted miRNAs and their protein targets

The term microRNA refers to a class of small, non-coding, single-stranded RNA molecules that are usually 18–26 nucleotides long. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play considerable impact on variety of biological processes by adjusting post-transcriptional gene expression. Although there has not been extensive research done on miRNAs in the Cucurbitaceae family, these miRNAs are crucial for controlling plant growth and development. The muskmelon miRNAs and their target genes were examined through expressed sequence tags (ESTs) data from a variety of species. The validation and expression analysis of miRNAs in muskmelon was the main goal of the study. During this study, we used muskmelon ESTs to find 44 non-coding miRNAs that had not been previously identified. The MFE values of these miRNAs ranged from − 10.10 to − 56.90 kcal/mole. Six conserved miRNAs were randomly selected for RT-PCR research. The notable feature of the recently identified muskmelon miRNAs is their large number of target genes, identified by the application of the psRNA-Target tool connected with Gene Ontology enrichment analysis. Our results surprisingly identified about 82 target genes that are involved in responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The information presented here indicates that miRNAs within the Cucurbitaceae family exhibit an intriguing combination of evolutionary conservation and specialization, and that the target genes linked to these miRNAs may be crucial for the growth and development of Cucurbitaceae plants.