Analysis of miRNAs and Genes Related to Cardiovascular and Neurological Diseases in Cicer arietinum L.

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran

2 Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Terhran, Iran

3 Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Amir al momenin Hospital, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran

4 Department of Cardiology, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol, Iran

5 Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

6 Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Agriculture Institute, Research Institute of Zabol, Zabol, Iran

Abstract

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the most important economic legumes in the world, with 16 chromosomes, and belongs to the Leguminosae or Fabaceae family. This plant is sensitive to cold and is subjected to many environmental stresses every year. In general, the stress of cold, drought, and salinity, in addition to causing severe damage and yield loss, also leads to changes in physiological processes and gene expression. MicroRNAs are a group of conserved RNAs in plants and animals that play an important role in regulating post-transcriptional factors. Chickpea also plays an effective role in promoting resistance to various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Therefore, in this study, we investigated micro RNAs effective in resistance to environmental stresses, as well as clinical and bioinformatics investigations in the MTHFR and FOLR1 genes against cardiovascular and neurological diseases. The results of this research showed that various miRNAs such as miR159, miR160, miR166, miR167, miR169, miR171, miR172, miR319, miR393, miR394, and miR396 are effective in creating stress resistance in chickpeas through activating different genes. This research showed that micro RNAs act as inhibitory and modulating factors against various stresses. The studies conducted from the analysis of antibodies in C. arietinum showed that the FOLR1 gene is more active in the extracellular part and the plasma membrane and the MTHFR gene in the cytosol compared to other cells in other organs. Also, the analysis of the expression of these genes showed that the FOLR1 gene is less expressed than the MTHFR gene in heart but it is more in the brain. On the other hand, the MTHFR gene was more expressed in male tissues, muscle tissues, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissue. Also, GMQE in FOLR1 (0.79) and MTHFR (0.87) genes showed that the three-dimensional structure provides an accurate estimation of these genes activities. Finally, it can be concluded that by conducting studies in the field of tracking miRNAs and effective genes, as well as accurate diagnosis with the help of molecular markers, an effective step can be taken to increase resistance to diseases and stresses and significantly improve the performance of the product.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Medicinal plants and By-Products
Volume 14, Issue 2
March and April 2025
Pages 177-188

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