Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Measuring Gene Expression in Bombarded Barley Aleurone Layers with Increased Throughput
Published on: March 30, 2018
Arabidopsis Argonaute10 specifically sequesters miR166/165 to regulate shoot apical meristem development
Hongliang Zhu1, Fuqu Hu, Ronghui Wang
1Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
Abstract:
The shoot apical meristem (SAM) comprises a group of undifferentiated cells that divide to maintain the plant meristem and also give rise to all shoot organs. SAM fate is specified by class III HOMEODOMAIN-LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIP III) transcription factors, which are targets of miR166/165. In Arabidopsis, AGO10 is a critical regulator of SAM maintenance, and here we demonstrate that AGO10 specifically interacts with miR166/165. The association is determined by a distinct structure of the miR166/165 duplex. Deficient loading of miR166 into AGO10 results in a defective SAM. Notably, the miRNA-binding ability of AGO10, but not its catalytic activity, is required for SAM development, and AGO10 has a higher binding affinity for miR166 than does AGO1, a principal contributor to miRNA-mediated silencing. We propose that AGO10 functions as a decoy for miR166/165 to maintain the SAM, preventing their incorporation into AGO1 complexes and the subsequent repression of HD-ZIP III gene expression.
More Related Videos
10:08Experimental Design for Laser Microdissection RNA-Seq: Lessons from an Analysis of Maize Leaf Development
Published on: March 5, 2017
08:52A Seed Coat Bedding Assay to Genetically Explore In Vitro How the Endosperm Controls Seed Germination in Arabidopsis thaliana
Published on: November 9, 2013
Related Concept Videos
Morphogenesis
Cell Signaling in Plants
Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to...
Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots