Haemocytes MicroRNA Transcriptome in Response to Cd Using a Deep Sequencing Approach

: one for organisms exposed to toxic levels of cadmium (Cd) and one for a control group. were up- or down-regulated in response to Cd exposure. There were significant differences in expression between the Cd and control groups for 16 miRNAs. Of these, five miRNAs were significantly up-regulated and 11 were significantly down-regulated in the Cd stress library. Potential targets were predicted for the 16 differential miRNAs in pre-miRNAs identified according to sequence homology. Some of the predicted miRNA targets are associated with regulation of the response to stress induced by heavy metals. Five differentially expressed miRNAs (Tgr-nmiR-8, Tgr-nmiR-21, Tgr-miR-2a, Tgr-miR-10a-5p, and Tgr-miR-184b) were validated by qRT-PCR. haemocytes. Our findings suggest that some miRNAs and their target genes and pathways may play critical roles in the responses of this species to environmental heavy metal stresses