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Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster
Published on: August 21, 2014
The emerging role of small RNAs in ovule development, a kind of magic
Rosanna Petrella1, Mara Cucinotta1, Marta A Mendes1
1Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
In plants, small RNAs have been recognized as key genetic and epigenetic regulators of development. Small RNAs are usually 20 to 30 nucleotides in length and they control, in a sequence specific manner, the transcriptional or post-transcriptional expression of genes. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the most recent findings about the function of small RNAs in ovule development, including megasporogenesis and megagametogenesis, both in sexual and apomictic plants. We discuss recent studies on the role of miRNAs, siRNAs and trans-acting RNAs (ta-siRNAs) in early female germline differentiation. The mechanistic complexity and unique regulatory features are reviewed, and possible directions for future research are provided.
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