miRNA library and thermodynamic stability of Astragali Radix decoction pieces / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To establish a small RNA library of Astragalus membranaceus, in order to understand the intake and absorption of miRNAs in human body, and to lay the foundation for pharmacological research of Astragali Radix decoction pieces (ARP). Methods: The decoction of A. membranaceus after desiccation, high temperature and microwave treatment was used as sample, and using high-throughput sequencing technology, the unknown miRNA sequence was obtained. Results: Totally 9931049 small RNA sequences were identified from ARP by the high-throughput sequencing technology. After compared with all hairpin-forming precursors in miRBase 21 database, the miRNA library of ARP decoction was established, and one conserved miRNA and 9 novel miRNA sequences were confirmed. Twelve class I small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were obtained by further bioinformatic analysis and we found that the 5' terminal was unstable while the 3' terminal was stable thermodynamically. Conclusion: The miRNAs expression profiles of ARP is first revealed by thermodynamic treatment. Our study suggests that class I siRNA can be used as a potential biochemistry components of phytomedicine, which might contribute to the epigenetic studies on Chinese materia medica.