名贵芳香类药材沉香的野生资源已近枯竭，人工生产迫在眉睫。健康的沉香属植物只有受到外界伤害时，才在伤口周围积累倍半萜、色酮等，形成沉香药材。miRNA 是一种重要的转录后调控因子，参与多种生物、非生物胁迫应答反应。前期我们采用高通量测序技术构建了白木香的EST 库及小RNA 库，筛选鉴定出一批伤害诱导的关键miRNA，并发现miRNA可能参与了白木香从伤害应答到信号转导到次生代谢物合成的全过程，但由于基因组信息的匮乏，制约了关键miRNA功能的阐释。本研究将利用业已完成的白木香全基因组测序工作，通过生物信息学手段全面预测白木香miRNA及其靶基因，结合前期小RNA表达谱研究，补充筛选伤害诱导关键miRNA；利用多种实验手段验证其靶基因，揭示其作用靶点，并进一步深入挖掘miRNA及靶基因的功能和作用机制。本研究将为高效结香技术建立奠定基础，为诱导型药用次生代谢产物形成的分子机制制阐述提供参考。

Agarwood is in great demand for its high value in medicine, incense, and perfume across Asia, Middle East, and Europe. As agarwood is formed only when the Aquilaria trees are wounded or infected by some microbes, overharvesting and habitat loss are threatening some populations of agarwood-producing species. Aquilaria sinensis is the only agarwood producing species in China. To promote the production efficiency and protect the resource of A. sinensis as well as other agarwood producing species, it would be critical to reveal the regulation mechanisms of stress-induced agarwood formation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), an important gene expression regulator involved in various plant stress responses and metabolic processes, might have function in agarwood formation. Our previous work identified miRNAs from A. sinensis by small RNA sequencing and EST library, and indicated that the miRNAs might participate in a series steps of the whole progress from the wound response, signal transduction to the biosynthesis of secondary metabolism. Depend on these results, this study will thoroughly identify miRNAs and their targets using our small RNA library and the genome sequences obtained recently. Then select the key miRNAs in wound induced agarwood formation by their expression pattern and target prediction. The relationship of these key miRNAs and targets will further be verified by 5' RACE and transient expression. And the character, function and mechanism of these targets will also be studied. This study will help to develop the production method, especially in the future industrial production. The result will also help for studies of stress-induced production of useful secondary metabolites in many plants.