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Post-Transcriptional Modifications of Plant Small RNAs

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Non Coding RNAs in Plants

Part of the book series: RNA Technologies ((RNATECHN))

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Abstract

Generally, small RNAs are generated template dependent by RNA ­polymerases or RNA dependent RNA polymerases with the transcription template being either DNA or RNA. Following transcription, small RNAs in plants undergo processing by Dicer-like RNase III type endonucleases to define their mature 5′ and 3′ termini. Part of the maturation process of small RNAs are post-transcriptional modifications either on the ribose or base moiety of the nucleotide. Additionally, deletion and/or addition of nucleotides by RNA-specific ribonucleotidyl transferases are also plausible (RNA 13:1834–1849, 2007). In this chapter, ubiquitous and sequence specific post-transcriptional modifications of plant small RNAs are discussed as well as their detection through biochemical means or analysis of DNA sequencing data of small RNAs.

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Acknowledgments

HAE is supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Post-doctoral Fellowship. HAE would also like to thank the reviewers for critically reading the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Molecular Systems Biology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Wolfgang-Pauli-Str. 16, CH-8093, Zürich, Switzerland

    H. Alexander Ebhardt

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  1. H. Alexander Ebhardt
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Correspondence to H. Alexander Ebhardt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemistry/Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, Thielallee 63, Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Volker A. Erdmann

  2. Inst. Bioorganic Chemistry, PAN Poznan, ul. Z. Noskowskiego 12/14, Poznan, 61-704, Poland

    Jan Barciszewski

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Ebhardt, H.A. (2011). Post-Transcriptional Modifications of Plant Small RNAs. In: Erdmann, V., Barciszewski, J. (eds) Non Coding RNAs in Plants. RNA Technologies. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19454-2_4

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