Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 19, 2026

mRNA Interactome Capture from Plant Protoplasts
Published on: July 28, 2017
NERD, a plant-specific GW protein, defines an additional RNAi-dependent chromatin-based pathway in Arabidopsis
Dominique Pontier1, Claire Picart, François Roudier
1Laboratoire Génome et Développement des Plantes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique/Université de Perpignan via Domitia, UMR5096, Perpignan, France.
Abstract:
In Arabidopsis, transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) can be triggered by 24 nt small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) through the RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway. By functional analysis of NERD, a GW repeat- and PHD finger-containing protein, we demonstrate that Arabidopsis harbors a second siRNA-dependent DNA methylation pathway targeting a subset of nonconserved genomic loci. The activity of the NERD-dependent pathway differs from RdDM by the fact that it relies both on silencing-related factors previously implicated only in posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS), including RNA-DEPENDENT RNA POLYMERASE1/6 and ARGONAUTE2, and most likely on 21 nt siRNAs. A central role for NERD in integrating RNA silencing and chromatin signals in transcriptional silencing is supported by data showing that it binds both to histone H3 and AGO2 proteins and contributes to siRNA accumulation at a NERD-targeted locus. Our results unravel the existence of a conserved chromatin-based RNA silencing pathway encompassing both PTGS and TGS components in plants.
Related Concept Videos
Cell Signaling in Plants
Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light
Riboswitches
The aptamer has high specificity for a particular metabolite which allows riboswitches to specifically regulate...
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
Transgenic Plants
The first-ever transgenic plant was a tobacco plant developed in 1983 that showed resistance against the tobacco mosaic virus. Since then, many transgenic plants have been developed and commercialized for improving the agricultural, ornamental, and horticultural value of a crop plant. Transgenic...
Canonical Wnt Signaling Pathway

