植物miR168的研究进展

Progress on the Research of Plant miR168

microRNAs(miRNAs)是真核生物中一类长约22 nt的非编码小分子RNA,它通过对靶mRNA的切割或抑制靶mRNA的翻译调控基因的表达,从而对靶基因实施转录后水平负调控,在植物器官的形态建成、生长发育、信号转导及植物对逆境胁迫的应答中起着重要的作用。miR168是植物特有的一类RNA小分子,其主要的靶基因AGO1蛋白是RNA沉默复合体的重要组成成分,广泛参与对靶mRNA的剪切。本文综述了miR168的发现及其在植物中的分布、miR168与AGO1蛋白的关系、miR168对逆境胁迫的响应以及其在动植物间的跨界调节等,为进一步帮助人们了解miR168的功能及其参与动植物间跨界调节这一特性奠定良好的基础。

MicroRNAs（miRNAs） are a class of small endogenous non-coding RNAs with about 22 nucleotides in eukaryotes which mainly regulate the gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by cutting the targeting mRNAs or reducing translation of them. As a result, they could regulate the plant organs morphogenesis, growth, signal transduction or stress response capacity. The miR168 is a group of plant-specific small miRNA, whose target gene, AGO1 protein, is the basic component of RNA-induced silencing complex（RISC） which extensively involves in cutting the targeting mRNAs. This paper presents a brief summary on the discovery and distribution of miR168 in plants, the relationship between miR168 and AGO1 protein, the response to abiotic or biotic stresses and miR168 crossing kingdoms from plants to animals, etc., in order to lay a good foundation of helping people further realize the function of miR168 and understand its specific feature of participating in the crossover between plants and animals.