Uniparental expression of PolIV-dependent siRNAs in developing endosperm of Arabidopsis

Rebecca A. Mosher, Charles W. Melnyk, Krystyna A. Kelly, Ruth M. Dunn, David J. Studholme, David C. Baulcombe

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

269 Scopus citations

Abstract

Most eukaryotes produce small RNA (sRNA) mediators of gene silencing that bind to Argonaute proteins and guide them, by base pairing, to an RNA target. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) that normally target messenger RNAs for degradation or translational arrest are the best-understood class of sRNAs. However, in Arabidopsis thaliana flowers, miRNAs account for only 5% of the sRNA mass and less than 0.1% of the sequence complexity. The remaining sRNAs form a complex population of more than 100,000 different small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) transcribed from thousands of loci. The biogenesis of most of the siRNAs in Arabidopsis are dependent on RNA polymerase IV (PolIV), a homologue of DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II. A subset of these PolIV-dependent (p4)-siRNAs are involved in stress responses, and others are associated with epigenetic modifications to DNA or chromatin; however, the biological role is not known for most of them. Here we show that the predominant phase of p4-siRNA accumulation is initiated in the maternal gametophyte and continues during seed development. Expression of p4-siRNAs in developing endosperm is specifically from maternal chromosomes. Our results provide the first evidence for a link between genomic imprinting and RNA silencing in plants.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)283-286
Number of pages4
JournalNature
Volume460
Issue number7252
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 9 2009

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Uniparental expression of PolIV-dependent siRNAs in developing endosperm of Arabidopsis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this