MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an emerging class of small non-coding RNAs that exhibit important role in regulation of gene expression, mostly through the mechanism of cleavage and/or inhibition of translation of target mRNAs during or after transcription. Although much has been unravelled about the role of miRNAs in diverse biological processes like maintenance of functional integrity of genes and genome, growth and development, metabolism, and adaptive responses towards biotic and abiotic stresses in plants, not much is known on their specific roles in majority of cash crops - an area of investigation with potentially significant and gainful economic implications. Tea (Camellia sinensis) is globally the second most consumed beverage after water and its cultivation has major agro-economic and social ramifications. In recent years, global tea production has been greatly challenged by many biotic and abiotic stress factors and a deeper understanding of molecular processes regulating stress adaptation in this largely under investigated crop stands to significantly facilitate potential crop improvement strategies towards durable stress tolerance. This review endeavours to highlight recent advances in our understanding of the role of miRNAs in regulating stress tolerance traits in tea plant with additional focus on their role in determining tea quality attributes.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) 是一类新兴的非编码小 RNA，在基因表达调控中发挥重要作用，主要是通过在转录过程中或转录后裂解和/或抑制靶 mRNA 翻译的机制。尽管关于 miRNAs 在多种生物过程中的作用，如维持基因和基因组的功能完整性、生长和发育、代谢以及对植物中生物和非生物胁迫的适应性反应的作用已被解开很多，但对其具体作用知之甚少。大多数经济作物——一个具有潜在重大和有益经济影响的调查领域。茶（山茶花）) 是全球仅次于水的第二大消费饮料，其种植具有重大的农业经济和社会影响。近年来，全球茶叶生产受到许多生物和非生物胁迫因素的极大挑战，并且对调节胁迫适应的分子过程的更深入了解在很大程度上受到调查的作物林分中受到了极大的挑战，以显着促进潜在的作物改良策略以实现持久的胁迫耐受性。本综述致力于强调我们对 miRNA 在调节茶树胁迫耐受性状中的作用的理解的最新进展，并额外关注它们在确定茶质量属性中的作用。