Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2025
06:16
mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation
Published on: May 1, 2021
2.6K
microRNAs and Their Roles in Plant Development
Qingkun Dong1, Binbin Hu1,2, Cui Zhang1,2
1Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Plant Science
|March 7, 2022
Summary
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs crucial for plant development. This review details miRNA gene regulation and their roles in various plant growth processes.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Small RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), are key regulators of gene expression.
- miRNAs are short non-coding RNAs (20-24 nucleotides) that influence gene activity post-transcriptionally.
- They are vital for numerous plant developmental processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current research on microRNA-mediated gene regulation in plants.
- To summarize the established roles of miRNAs in plant development.
- To provide a foundation for future studies on miRNA function and molecular mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of scientific publications on plant miRNAs.
- Analysis of research progress in miRNA-mediated gene regulation.
- Synthesis of information on miRNA involvement in plant development.
Main Results:
- miRNAs regulate target gene expression via cleavage or translational inhibition.
- miRNAs are implicated in diverse developmental events: juvenile-to-adult transition, meristem development, leaf morphogenesis, floral organ formation, and flowering time.
- Significant progress has been made in understanding miRNA-mediated gene regulation.
Conclusions:
- MicroRNAs are essential regulators of plant development.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate miRNA functions and their interactions with other pathways.
- Understanding miRNA mechanisms is key to advancing plant science.
Related Concept Videos
01:22MicroRNAs
22.0K
MicroRNA (miRNA) are short, regulatory RNA transcribed from introns—non-coding regions of a gene—or intergenic regions—stretches of DNA present between genes. Several processing steps are required to form biologically active, mature miRNA. The initial transcript, called primary miRNA (pri-mRNA), base-pairs with itself forming a stem-loop structure. Within the nucleus, an endonuclease enzyme, called Drosha, shortens the stem-loop structure into hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA. After...
22.0K
02:57piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs
7.1K
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...
7.1K
01:25Cell Signaling in Plants
5.8K
Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...
5.8K
02:19Morphogenesis
28.9K
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
28.9K
02:39lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
9.0K
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...
9.0K
01:23RNA Interference
26.6K
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...
26.6K