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Updated: Feb 27, 2026

Inducible, Cell Type-Specific Expression in Arabidopsis thaliana Through LhGR-Mediated Trans-Activation
Published on: April 19, 2019
New DRB complexes for new DRB functions in plants
Thomas Montavon1, Yerim Kwon1, Aude Zimmermann1
1a Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IBMP UPR , Strasbourg , France.
Abstract:
Double-stranded RNA binding (DRB) proteins are generally considered as promoting cofactors of Dicer or Dicer-like (DCL) proteins that ensure efficient and precise production of small RNAs, the sequence-specificity guide of RNA silencing processes in both plants and animals. However, the characterization of a new clade of DRB proteins in Arabidopsis has recently challenged this view by showing that DRBs can also act as potent inhibitors of DCL processing. This is achieved through sequestration of a specific class of small RNA precursors, the endogenous inverted-repeat (endoIR) dsRNAs, thereby selectively preventing production of their associated small RNAs, the endoIR-siRNAs. Here, we concisely summarize the main findings obtained from the characterization of these new DRB proteins and discuss how the existence of such complexes can support a potential, yet still elusive, biological function of plant endoIR-siRNAs.
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