Two chloroplastic viroids induce the accumulation of small RNAs associated with posttranscriptional gene silencing.
In plants, posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) has been reported for cytoplasmic RNAs from endogenous nuclear genes, transgenes, viruses, and, recently, for a viroid with nuclear replication and accumulation. However, phenomena of this kind have not been described for mitochondrial or chloroplastic RNAs. Here we show that viroids that replicate and accumulate in the chloroplast are also targets of PTGS and this process may control viroid titer.
Martínez de Alba
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AE
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (UPV-CSIC), Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Ave. de los Naranjos s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
Flores
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R
Hernández
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C
D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000821:virology*; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*; D034622:RNA Interference; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D014772:Viroids / Q000235:genetics*
D012367:RNA, Viral