Advances in the regulation of plant salt-stress tolerance by miRNA

Salt stress significantly affects the growth, development, yield, and quality of plants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in various stress responses via target gene regulation. Their role in regulating salt stress has also received significant attention from researchers. Various transcription factor families are the common target genes of plant miRNAs. Thus, regulating the expression of miRNAs is a novel method for developing salt-tolerant crops. This review summarizes plant miRNAs that mediate salt tolerance, specifically miRNAs that have been utilized in genetic engineering to modify plant salinity tolerance. The molecular mechanism by which miRNAs mediate salt stress tolerance merits elucidation, and this knowledge will promote the development of miRNA-mediated salt-tolerant crops and provide new strategies against increasingly severe soil salinization.