Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2052814 | FEBS Letters | 2006 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
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 (∼200 million years ago), but after the divergence of plants from green algae. A fifth type of Dicer seems to have evolved in monocots.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Plant Science
Authors
Rogerio Margis, Adriana F. Fusaro, Neil A. Smith, Shaun J. Curtin, John M. Watson, E. Jean Finnegan, Peter M. Waterhouse,