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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #356255
Title: Small RNAs, emerging regulators critical for the development of horticultural traits

Author
item XIA, RUI - South China Agricultural University
item CHEN, CHENGIE - South China Agricultural University
item ZENG, ZAOHAI - South China Agricultural University
item Liu, Zongrang

Submitted to: Horticulture Research
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/1/2018
Publication Date: 9/17/2018
Citation: Xia, R., Chen, C., Zeng, Z., Liu, Z. 2018. Small RNAs, emerging regulators critical for the development of horticultural traits. Horticulture Research. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-018-0072-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41438-018-0072-8

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: sRNAs have been recently recognized as key genetic and epigenetic regulators in various organisms, ranging from the modification of DNA and histone methylations to the modulation of abundance of coding or non-coding RNAs. In plants, major regulatory sRNAs are classified as respective miRNA and siRNA species, with the former primarily engaging in posttranscriptional regulation while the latter in trascriptional one. Many of these charactized siRNAs are involved in regulation of diverse biological programming, process and pathways in response to developmental cues, environmental signals/stresses, pathogen infection and pest attacks. Recently, sRNAs-mediated regulations have also been extensively investigated in horicultural plants, with many novel mechanisms unveiled, which display far more mechanistic complexity and unique regulatory features compared to those studied in model species. Here, we review the recent progress of sRNA research in horticultural plants, with emphasis on mechanistic aspects as well as their relevance to trait regulation. Given that major and pioneered sRNA research has been carried out in model and other plants, we also discuss ongoing sRNA research on these plants. Because miRNAs and phasiRNAs are the most studied sRNA regulators, this review focuses on their biogenesis, conservation, function, and targeted genes and traits as well as mechanistic relation between them, aiming at providing readers comprehensive information instrumental for future sRNA research in horticulture crops.