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Plant RNA Interference Pathways: Diversity in Function, Similarity in Action

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Abstract

Small non-coding RNA-mediated gene-silencing pathways, collectively called RNA interference (RNAi), are involved in regulation of endogenous gene expression and plant defence. It is manifested through two broad classes of small non-coding regulatory RNAs, small interfering RNA (siRNA) and microRNA (miRNA). siRNAs, generated from cleavage of long hairpin RNA by RNase III-class endonuclease, Dicer-like, mediate transcriptional or post-transcriptional gene silencing. At transcriptional level, 24-nucleotide (nt)-long-siRNAs guide an effector complex for DNA methylation, which leads to heterochromatinisation of target loci and consequently transcriptional silencing. At post-transcriptional level, a different size class of 21-nt-long siRNAs guides a silencing complex, called RNA-induced silencing complex, for cleavage of target mRNA. cis-acting siRNAs are involved in plant defence against viruses and transposons, and trans-acting siRNAs regulate endogenous genes involved in plant growth. miRNAs are generated from processing of imperfect stem-loop RNA precursors by Dicer-like. They regulate plant growth and adaptive stress responses by either degradation or translational repression of target mRNAs.

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Abbreviations

AGO:

Argonaute

DCL:

Dicer-like

HEN1:

Hua Enhancer1

PTGS:

Post-transcriptional gene silencing

RdDM:

RNA-directed DNA methylation

RDR:

RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

RISC:

RNA-induced silencing complex

Se:

Serrate

sncRNA:

Small non-coding RNA

TGS:

Transcriptional gene silencing

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Acknowledgments

Authors thank Indian Council of Agricultural Research and Department of Biotechnology for financial support.

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  1. Pusa Campus, National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology, New Delhi, 110012, India

    Debasis Pattanayak, Amolkumar U. Solanke & P. Ananda Kumar

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  1. Debasis Pattanayak
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Correspondence to Debasis Pattanayak.

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Pattanayak, D., Solanke, A.U. & Kumar, P.A. Plant RNA Interference Pathways: Diversity in Function, Similarity in Action. Plant Mol Biol Rep 31, 493–506 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11105-012-0520-9

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