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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Laser-Capture Microdissection RNA-Sequencing for Spatial and Temporal Tissue-Specific Gene Expression Analysis in Plants

Laser-Capture Microdissection RNA-Sequencing for Spatial and Temporal Tissue-Specific Gene Expression Analysis in Plants

Published on: August 5, 2020

Small RNAs and developmental timing in plants.

R Scott Poethig¹

¹Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States. spoethig@sas.upenn.edu

Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

|August 26, 2009

Summary

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate plant development timing, connecting juvenile-to-adult transitions and flowering. This ancient small RNA mechanism involves miR156 and miR172 targeting key transcription factors.

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RNA Blot Analysis for the Detection and Quantification of Plant MicroRNAs

RNA Blot Analysis for the Detection and Quantification of Plant MicroRNAs

Published on: July 11, 2020

Area of Science:

Plant Biology
Developmental Biology
Molecular Genetics

Background:

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression.
Developmental timing, including the transition to flowering, is crucial for plant life cycles.
Small RNAs have been implicated in various biological processes across species.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the role of microRNAs in regulating developmental timing in plants.
To identify the molecular mechanisms connecting juvenile-to-adult transitions and flowering.
To explore the evolutionary conservation of small RNA-mediated temporal regulation.

Main Methods:

Analysis of temporally expressed miRNAs (miR156 and miR172) in plants.
Identification of target transcription factor families (SBP-box and AP2-like).
Investigation of small RNA roles in gametophyte development in Physcomitrella patens.

Main Results:

Two temporally expressed miRNAs, miR156 and miR172, regulate the juvenile-to-adult transition in flowering plants.
These miRNAs target SBP-box and AP2-like transcription factors, influencing vegetative traits and flowering.
Small RNAs also regulate developmental transitions in the moss Physcomitrella patens.

Conclusions:

MicroRNAs provide a molecular link between plant developmental transitions and flowering.
The temporal regulation by small RNAs is an ancient mechanism in plants.
Understanding these pathways offers insights into plant development and evolution.