Drought is one of the foremost abiotic stress limiting global wheat production. Exploring the molecular mechanism of wheat response to drought stress have great significance in wheat molecular breeding. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been proved to play an important role in the process of plants tolerance to environmental stresses. Therefore, identifying circRNAs involved in drought stress response will help to construct a regulatory network of wheat drought tolerance, and lay a foundation for analyzing the drought resistance mechanism in wheat.

In this study, two wheat varieties (Zhoumai13 and Jimai38) with significant differences in drought resistance were used and circRNA-seq was performed on their root samples under well-watered and drought conditions. Differentially expressed circRNAs related to drought stress response were screened based on the identified circRNAs and their microRNAs (miRNAs) targets were predicted. Further, potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory modules related to wheat drought stress response were constructed according to the expression patterns of miRNAs and their target genes under drought stress.

A total of 1 409 wheat circRNAs were identified, most of which (68.91%) were exonic circRNAs. Only 133 circRNAs were simultaneously identified in both varieties. A total of 239 differentially expressed circRNAs were identified under drought stress, of which 138 circRNAs were specifically differentially expressed in the drought-resistant variety Zhoumai 13 (ZM13), and 19 circRNAs were differentially expressed simultaneously in both varieties. Besides, 34 targeted miRNAs and 1 408 miRNA target genes were predicted. Based on the expression patterns of these differentially expressed circRNAs, targeted miRNAs, and miRNA target genes, five potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory modules centered on tae-miR9664-3p, tae-miR1122b-3p, tae-miR9662a-3p, tae-miR6197-5p and tae-miR1120c-5p in response to drought stress were screened.

Wheat circRNAs have obvious specificity in different cultivars and different expression patterns among different drought-tolerant wheat cultivars. A total of 239 wheat circRNAs and 5 potential circRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory modules in response to drought stress were identified in the present study.