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Updated: Oct 13, 2025

mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation
Published on: May 1, 2021
MicroRNA482/2118, a miRNA superfamily essential for both disease resistance and plant development
Yanqing Zhang1,2,3,4, Muhammad Waseem1,2,3,4, Zaohai Zeng1,2,3,4
1State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510640, China.
Abstract:
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 21-24 nucleotides (nt) noncoding small RNAs ubiquitously distributed across the plant kingdom. miR482/2118, one of the conserved miRNA superfamilies originating from gymnosperms, has divergent main functions in core-angiosperms. It mainly regulates NUCLEOTIDE BINDING SITE-LEUCINE-RICH REPEAT (NBS-LRR) genes in eudicots, functioning as an essential component in plant disease resistance; in contrast, it predominantly targets numerous long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in monocot grasses, which are vital for plant reproduction. Usually, miR482/2118 is 22-nt in length, which can trigger the production of phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) after directed cleavage. PhasiRNAs instigated from target genes of miR482/2118 enhance their roles in corresponding biological processes by cis-regulation on cognate genes and expands their function to other pathways via trans activity on different genes. This review summarizes the origin, biogenesis, conservation, and evolutionary characteristics of the miR482/2118 superfamily and delineates its diverse functions in disease resistance, plant development, stress responses, etc.
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