Conservation and divergence of microRNAs in Populus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs (sRNA) approximately 21 nucleotides in length that negatively control gene expression by cleaving or inhibiting the translation of target gene transcripts. miRNAs have been extensively analyzed in Arabidopsis and rice and partially investigated in other non-model plant species. To date, 109 and 62 miRNA families have been identified in Arabidopsis and rice respectively. However, only 33 miRNAs have been identified from the genome of the model tree species (Populus trichocarpa), of which 11 are Populus specific. The low number of miRNA families previously identified in Populus, compared with the number of families identified in Arabidopsis and rice, suggests that many miRNAs still remain to be discovered in Populus. In this study, we anal

SUBMITTER: Barakat A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2270843 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature