Pattern formation via small RNA mobility
- Daniel H. Chitwood1,2,
- Fabio T.S. Nogueira1,
- Miya D. Howell3,4,
- Taiowa A. Montgomery4,5,
- James C. Carrington3,4,5 and
- Marja C.P. Timmermans1,2,6
- 1Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA;
- 2Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA;
- 3Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA;
- 4Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA;
- 5Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
Abstract
MicroRNAs and trans-acting siRNAs (ta-siRNAs) have important regulatory roles in development. Unlike other developmentally important regulatory molecules, small RNAs are not known to act as mobile signals during development. Here, we show that low-abundant, conserved ta-siRNAs, termed tasiR-ARFs, move intercellularly from their defined source of biogenesis on the upper (adaxial) side of leaves to the lower (abaxial) side to create a gradient of small RNAs that patterns the abaxial determinant AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR3. Our observations have important ramifications for the function of small RNAs and suggest they can serve as mobile, instructive signals during development.
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Footnotes
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↵6 Corresponding author.
↵E-MAIL timmerma{at}cshl.edu; FAX (516) 367-8369.
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Article is online at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.1770009.
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Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.
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- Received December 7, 2008.
- Accepted January 21, 2009.
- Copyright © 2009 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press
