Identification of 20 microRNAs from Oryza sativa

Author: Wang Jia‐Fu   Zhou Hui   Chen Yue‐Qin   Luo Qing‐Jun   Qu Liang‐Hu  

Publisher: Oxford University Press

ISSN: 1362-4962

Source: Nucleic Acids Research, Vol.32, Iss.5, 2004-03, pp. : 1688-1695

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Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are present in both plant and animal kingdoms and represents a growing family of non‐coding RNAs. These tiny RNAs act as small guides and direct negative regulations usually in the process of development through sequence complementarity to target mRNAs. Although a large number of miRNAs have been identified from various animals, so far plant miRNA studies have focused mainly on Arabidopsis. Here we describe the identification of 20 miRNAs from a rice cDNA library. All the miRNAs were presumably processed from precursors with stem–loop structures and were positively detected in rice cells from at least one tissue, some of which showed tissue‐specific expression. Twenty‐three unique rice genes were identified to be feasible targets for seven rice miRNAs, including four members of Scarecrow‐like transcription factor, the targets of miR‐39 that had been characterized in Arabidopsis. Lacking long complementarity, the regulatory targets of 13 miRNAs remain to be further investigated. A possible mechanism of translational repressor for plant miRNAs that lack perfect complementarity to target mRNAs is discussed.