The evolution and diversification of Dicers in plants.
Most multicellular organisms regulate developmental transitions by microRNAs, which are generated by an enzyme, Dicer. Insects and fungi have two Dicer-like genes, and many animals have only one, yet the plant, Arabidopsis, has four. Examining the poplar and rice genomes revealed that they contain five and six Dicer-like genes, respectively. Analysis of these genes suggests that plants require a basic set of four Dicer types which were present before the divergence of mono- and dicotyledonous plants ( approximately 200 million years ago), but after the divergence of plants from green algae. A fifth type of Dicer seems to have evolved in monocots.
Margis
Rogerio
R
CSIRO Plant Industry, P.O. Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Fusaro
Adriana F
AF
Smith
Neil A
NA
Curtin
Shaun J
SJ
Watson
John M
JM
Finnegan
E Jean
EJ
Waterhouse
Peter M
PM
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D017343:Genes, Plant; D012275:Oryza / Q000235:genetics*; D032107:Populus / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins