Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
14:41
RNA Blot Analysis for the Detection and Quantification of Plant MicroRNAs
Published on: July 11, 2020
Classification and comparison of small RNAs from plants
1Department of Biology and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. mja18@psu.edu
Annual Review of Plant Biology
|January 22, 2013
Summary
Regulatory small RNAs are key components in plant transcriptomes, responding to infections and dsRNA. These small RNAs are classified by their biogenesis, distinguishing between hairpin RNAs (hpRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Plant Science
Background:
- Regulatory small RNAs (20-24 nucleotides) are integral to plant transcriptomes.
- They function in endogenous processes, viral defense, and response to exogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To categorize endogenous small RNAs based on their biogenesis and function.
- To differentiate between hairpin RNAs (hpRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).
Main Methods:
- Analysis of small RNA biogenesis pathways in plants.
- Classification of small RNAs derived from single-stranded hairpin precursors versus double-stranded RNA precursors.
Main Results:
- Small RNAs are derived from helical RNA precursors.
- A primary distinction exists between hpRNAs and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs).
- Further subdivisions include microRNAs, non-microRNAs, heterochromatic siRNAs, secondary siRNAs, and natural antisense transcript siRNAs.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the diverse classes of plant small RNAs is crucial.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the specific roles and interrelationships of these small RNA categories.
Related Concept Videos
01:23RNA Interference
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
02:15Experimental RNAi
RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
02:30siRNA - Small Interfering RNAs
Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
02:39lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
In humans, more than 80% of the genome gets transcribed. However, only around 2% of the genome codes for proteins. The remaining part produces non-coding RNAs which includes ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, telomerase RNAs, and regulatory RNAs, among other types. A large number of regulatory non-coding RNAs have been classified into two groups depending upon their length – small non-coding RNAs, such as microRNA, which are less than 200 nucleotides in length, and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)...
02:30Small interfering RNAs (siRNA)
Small interfering RNAs, or siRNAs, are short regulatory RNA molecules that can silence genes post-transcriptionally, as well as the transcriptional level in some cases. siRNAs are important for protecting cells against viral infections and silencing transposable genetic elements.
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
In the cytoplasm, siRNA is processed from a double-stranded RNA, which comes from either endogenous DNA transcription or exogenous sources like a virus. This double-stranded RNA is then cleaved by the ATP-dependent...
02:57piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs
PIWI-interacting RNAs, or piRNAs, are the most abundant short non-coding RNAs. More than 20,000 genes have been found in humans that code for piRNAs while only 2000 genes have been found for miRNAs. piRNAs can act at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and have a vital role in silencing transposable elements present in germ cells. They are also involved in epigenetic silencing and activation. Previously, they were thought to function only in germ cells but new evidence suggests...