The Small RNA World Small RNAs confer specificity to a set of pathways collectively called RNA-mediated silencing. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) ensure that silenced DNA remains silent and are important tools in the plant defensive arsenal. microRNAs (miRNAs) temporally and spatially regulate their targets, many of which are involved in developmental timing and patterning, nutrient uptake or stress responses. This lecture describes the production and actions of small RNAs in plants, and highlights some of the key studies in their discovery. First posted February 26, 2010, revised by Mary Williams and Vagner Benedito (Vagner.Benedito@mail.wvu.edu) November 30, 2016. www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.110.tt0210
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Williams, M.E. (May 3, 2013). The Small RNA World. Teaching Tools in Plant Biology: Lecture Notes. The Plant Cell (online), doi/10.1105/tpc.110.tt10210.