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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Author Spotlight: Microscopic Analysis of Protein Localization at Plasmodesmata in Plants
Published on: November 1, 2024
The role of miR156 in developmental transitions in Nicotiana tabacum
TianQi Zhang1, JiaWei Wang, ChuanMiao Zhou
1National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics (NKLPMG), Institute of Plant Physiology and Ecology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS), Shanghai, 200032, China.
Abstract:
Plants undergo a series of developmental transitions during their life cycle. After seed germination, plants pass through two distinct phases: the vegetative phase in which leaves are produced and the reproductive phase in which flowering occurs. Based on the reproductive competence and morphological changes, the vegetative phase can be further divided into juvenile and adult phases. Here, we demonstrate that the difference between juvenile and adult phase of Nicotiana tabacum is characterized by the changes in leaf size, leaf shape as well as the number of leaf epidermal hairs (trichomes). We further show that miR156, an age-regulated microRNA, regulates juvenile-to-adult phase transition in N. tabacum. Overexpression of miR156 results in delayed juvenile-to-adult transition and flowering. Together, our results support an evolutionarily conserved role of miR156 in plant developmental transitions.
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