Plant Small RNAs: Biogenesis, Mode of Action and Their Roles in Abiotic Stresses

Overview

Journal Genomics Proteomics Bioinformatics

Specialty Biology

Date 2012 Feb 1

PMID 22289475

Citations 44

Authors

Praveen Guleria

Monika Mahajan

Jyoti Bhardwaj

Sudesh Kumar Yadav

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are 18-30 nt non-coding regulatory elements found in diverse organisms, which were initially identified as small double-stranded RNAs in Caenorhabditis elegans. With the development of new and improved technologies, sRNAs have also been identified and characterized in plant systems. Among them, micro RNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are found to be very important riboregulators in plants. Various types of sRNAs differ in their mode of biogenesis and in their function of gene regulation. sRNAs are involved in gene regulation at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. They are known to regulate growth and development of plants. Furthermore, sRNAs especially plant miRNAs have been found to be involved in various stress responses, such as oxidative, mineral nutrient deficiency, dehydration, and even mechanical stimulus. Therefore, in the present review, we focus on the current understanding of biogenesis and regulatory mechanisms of plant sRNAs and their responses to various abiotic stresses.

Citing Articles

Small Interfering RNAs as Critical Regulators of Plant Life Process: New Perspectives on Regulating the Transcriptomic Machinery.

Puchta-Jasinska M, Bolc P, Pietrusinska-Radzio A, Motor A, Boczkowska M Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(4).

PMID: 40004087 PMC: 11855876. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26041624.

MicroRNAs in Plant Genetic Regulation of Drought Tolerance and Their Function in Enhancing Stress Adaptation.

Zhakypbek Y, Belkozhayev A, Kerimkulova A, Kossalbayev B, Murat T, Tursbekov S Plants (Basel). 2025; 14(3).

PMID: 39942972 PMC: 11820447. DOI: 10.3390/plants14030410.

Appropriate mowing can promote the growth of Anabasis aphylla through the auxin metabolism pathway.

Jiang P, Han P, He M, Shui G, Guo C, Shah S BMC Plant Biol. 2024; 24(1):482.

PMID: 38822275 PMC: 11141038. DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05204-3.

Genome-wide identification of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum small RNAs and their endogenous targets.

Regmi R, Newman T, Khentry Y, Kamphuis L, Derbyshire M BMC Genomics. 2023; 24(1):582.

PMID: 37784009 PMC: 10544508. DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09686-7.

Exogenously Induced Silencing of Four MYB Transcription Repressor Genes and Activation of Anthocyanin Accumulation in .

Suprun A, Kiselev K, Dubrovina A Int J Mol Sci. 2023; 24(11).

PMID: 37298295 PMC: 10253785. DOI: 10.3390/ijms24119344.

References

Tang G . siRNA and miRNA: an insight into RISCs. Trends Biochem Sci. 2005; 30(2):106-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2004.12.007. View

Bedell J, Budiman M, Nunberg A, Citek R, Robbins D, Jones J . Sorghum genome sequencing by methylation filtration. PLoS Biol. 2005; 3(1):e13. PMC: 539327. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0030013. View

Chinnusamy V, Zhu J, Zhu J . Cold stress regulation of gene expression in plants. Trends Plant Sci. 2007; 12(10):444-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2007.07.002. View

Simmer F, Tijsterman M, Parrish S, Koushika S, Nonet M, Fire A . Loss of the putative RNA-directed RNA polymerase RRF-3 makes C. elegans hypersensitive to RNAi. Curr Biol. 2002; 12(15):1317-9. DOI: 10.1016/s0960-9822(02)01041-2. View

Kim V . Small RNAs: classification, biogenesis, and function. Mol Cells. 2005; 19(1):1-15. View

Carthew R, Sontheimer E . Origins and Mechanisms of miRNAs and siRNAs. Cell. 2009; 136(4):642-55. PMC: 2675692. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.01.035. View

Sunkar R, Kapoor A, Zhu J . Posttranscriptional induction of two Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase genes in Arabidopsis is mediated by downregulation of miR398 and important for oxidative stress tolerance. Plant Cell. 2006; 18(8):2051-65. PMC: 1533975. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.106.041673. View

Stockinger E, Gilmour S, Thomashow M . Arabidopsis thaliana CBF1 encodes an AP2 domain-containing transcriptional activator that binds to the C-repeat/DRE, a cis-acting DNA regulatory element that stimulates transcription in response to low temperature and water deficit. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1997; 94(3):1035-40. PMC: 19635. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.94.3.1035. View

Vierstra R . The ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway, the complex last chapter in the life of many plant proteins. Trends Plant Sci. 2003; 8(3):135-42. DOI: 10.1016/S1360-1385(03)00014-1. View

10.

Chen X . A microRNA as a translational repressor of APETALA2 in Arabidopsis flower development. Science. 2003; 303(5666):2022-5. PMC: 5127708. DOI: 10.1126/science.1088060. View

11.

Vinocur B, Altman A . Recent advances in engineering plant tolerance to abiotic stress: achievements and limitations. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2005; 16(2):123-32. DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2005.02.001. View

12.

Lv D, Bai X, Li Y, Ding X, Ge Y, Cai H . Profiling of cold-stress-responsive miRNAs in rice by microarrays. Gene. 2010; 459(1-2):39-47. DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2010.03.011. View

13.

Kliebenstein D, Monde R, Last R . Superoxide dismutase in Arabidopsis: an eclectic enzyme family with disparate regulation and protein localization. Plant Physiol. 1998; 118(2):637-50. PMC: 34840. DOI: 10.1104/pp.118.2.637. View

14.

Borsani O, Zhu J, Verslues P, Sunkar R, Zhu J . Endogenous siRNAs derived from a pair of natural cis-antisense transcripts regulate salt tolerance in Arabidopsis. Cell. 2005; 123(7):1279-91. PMC: 3137516. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2005.11.035. View

15.

Lim L, Lau N, Weinstein E, Abdelhakim A, Yekta S, Rhoades M . The microRNAs of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genes Dev. 2003; 17(8):991-1008. PMC: 196042. DOI: 10.1101/gad.1074403. View

16.

Qiu C, Xie F, Zhu Y, Guo K, Huang S, Nie L . Computational identification of microRNAs and their targets in Gossypium hirsutum expressed sequence tags. Gene. 2007; 395(1-2):49-61. DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2007.01.034. View

17.

Lu S, Sun Y, Shi R, Clark C, Li L, Chiang V . Novel and mechanical stress-responsive MicroRNAs in Populus trichocarpa that are absent from Arabidopsis. Plant Cell. 2005; 17(8):2186-203. PMC: 1182482. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.105.033456. View

18.

Kim V, Han J, Siomi M . Biogenesis of small RNAs in animals. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2009; 10(2):126-39. DOI: 10.1038/nrm2632. View

19.

Li J, Yang Z, Yu B, Liu J, Chen X . Methylation protects miRNAs and siRNAs from a 3'-end uridylation activity in Arabidopsis. Curr Biol. 2005; 15(16):1501-7. PMC: 5127709. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2005.07.029. View

20.

Fowler S, Thomashow M . Arabidopsis transcriptome profiling indicates that multiple regulatory pathways are activated during cold acclimation in addition to the CBF cold response pathway. Plant Cell. 2002; 14(8):1675-90. PMC: 151458. DOI: 10.1105/tpc.003483. View