tRNA-derived small RNAs target transposable element transcripts.
tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tRFs) are 18-26 nucleotide small RNAs that are not random degradation products, but are rather specifically cleaved from mature tRNA transcripts. Abundant in stressed or viral-infected cells, the function and potential targets of tRFs are not known. We identified that in the unstressed wild-type male gamete containing pollen of flowering plants, and analogous reproductive structure in non-flowering plant species, tRFs accumulate to high levels. In the reference plant Arabidopsis thaliana, tRFs are processed by Dicer-like 1 and incorporated into Argonaute1 (AGO1), akin to a microRNA. We utilized the fact that many plant small RNAs direct cleavage of their target transcripts to demonstrate that the tRF-AGO1 complex acts to specifically target and cleave endogenous transposable element (TE) mRNAs produced from transcriptionally active TEs. The data presented here demonstrate that tRFs are bona-fide regulatory microRNA-like small RNAs involved in the regulation of genome stability through the targeting of TE transcripts.
Department of Molecular Genetics and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210 OH, USA.|Department of Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center of Plant Biology, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden.
German
G
Martinez
Department of Molecular Genetics and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210 OH, USA.|Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210 OH, USA.|Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210 OH, USA.
Sarah G
SG
Choudury
Department of Molecular Genetics and Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210 OH, USA.|Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 43210 OH, USA.
R Keith
RK
Slotkin
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics*; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D011058:Pollen / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018749:RNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D035683:MicroRNAs; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018749:RNA, Plant; D012343:RNA, Transfer