EN
The present study was performed to survey the nature and extent of sequence conservation and divergence of miR165a and its target REVOLUTA (REV), a HD-ZIP III family member from Brassica encompassing both diploid and allotetraploid genomes. Post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS)-based regulation in plant requires precise pairing of the miRNA–mRNA target. We identified length and sequence polymorphisms in pre-miR165a, although 21 nt mature sequence was largely invariant. One Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) each in mature miR165a that has the potential to disrupt PTGS was detected in one clone each from B. rapa var. Chinese Cabbage and B. oleracea var. Brussels Sprout. The miR165 binding site in REV in Brassica species is split between exons 4 and 5 and is reconstituted in the mRNA with no sequence variation. In REV, allelic variation can be observed in the flanking exonic and intronic regions in both diploid and allopolyploid species of Brassica indicating a strong selection pressure for maintaining the miR165a target site in REV such that deleterious mutation at the site of PTGS does not accumulate in the population. In addition, the present study indicates that miR165a is expressed in organ-specific manner and regulates its target transcript level through PTGS mechanism.