Bioactive effects of Tartary buckwheat mediated by miRNA: a bioinformatics analysis

Abstract This study aims to determine the bioactive effects of Tartary buckwheat on human health mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs). The bioactive compounds and conserved (exogenous) miRNAs in Tartary buckwheat and the human (endogenous) miRNAs influenced by these compounds were identified using text-mining techniques. The ggplot2 package was employed to identify endogenously differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs). Target genes for DEmiRNAs and exogenous miRNAs were predicted using the TargetScan tool and PITA algorithm, respectively. The target genes’ functions were elucidated using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and the R package “clusterProfiler.” Additionally, the miRNA-mRNA interaction network was constructed using Cytoscape. Twenty-one bioactive compounds and 70 DEmiRNAs were identified in Tartary buckwheat, among which six miRNAs were coregulated by two kinds of compounds. The target gene prediction revealed 56 and 33 genes for upregulated and downregulated miRNAs, respectively. Most genes were implicated in various cancers. Following a rigorous screening process, 12 conserved miRNAs were incorporated into the miRNA-mRNA network, with their target genes involved in system and cell development. Consequently, 54 genes were identified as common targets for exogenous and endogenous miRNAs, demonstrating significant associations with cell proliferation and development. The study indicated that the various biological activities of Tartary buckwheat are regulated by miRNAs, offering a novel perspective for further elucidating its nutritional significance.