title: A microRNA as a translational repressor of APETALA2 in Arabidopsis flower development.
abstract: Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) show a high degree of sequence complementarity to, and are believed to guide the cleavage of, their target messenger RNAs. Here, I show that miRNA172, which can base-pair with the messenger RNA of a floral homeotic gene, APETALA2, regulates APETALA2 expression primarily through translational inhibition. Elevated miRNA172 accumulation results in floral organ identity defects similar to those in loss-of-function apetala2 mutants. Elevated levels of mutant APETALA2 RNA with disrupted miRNA172 base pairing, but not wild-type APETALA2 RNA, result in elevated levels of APETALA2 protein and severe floral patterning defects. Therefore, miRNA172 likely acts in cell-fate specification as a translational repressor of APETALA2 in Arabidopsis flower development.
authors.affiliation: Waksman Institute, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. xuemei@waksman.rutgers.edu
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D016375:Antisense Elements (Genetics); D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D020029:Base Pairing; D001665:Binding Sites; D035264:Flowers / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D005801:Genes, Homeobox; D017343:Genes, Plant; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D010940:Plant Proteins; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C499534:APETALA2 protein, Arabidopsis; D016375:Antisense Elements (Genetics); D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C450825:HEN1 protein, Arabidopsis; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D035683:MicroRNAs; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018749:RNA, Plant