BIOSS
Centre for Biological Signalling Studies

Transcriptional control of gene expression by micro-RNAs

08.01.2010

Khraiwesh B, Arif MA, Seumel GI, Ossowski S, Weigel D, Reski R, Frank W.

Cell 140(1):111-22.

Cell     online article

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) control gene expression in animals and plants. Like another class of small RNAs, siRNAs, they affect gene expression posttranscriptionally. While siRNAs in addition act in transcriptional gene silencing, a role of miRNAs in transcriptional regulation has been less clear. We show here that in moss Physcomitrella patens mutants without a DICER-LIKE1b gene, maturation of miRNAs is normal but cleavage of target RNAs is abolished and levels of these transcripts are drastically reduced.