The role of mobile small RNA species during root growth and development

In animals and plants, small RNAs have been identified as important regulatory factors controlling cell fate. A bidirectional cell-to-cell communication involving the mobile transcription factor SHR and microRNA165/166 species specifies the radial position of two types of xylem vessels in Arabidopsis roots. The microRNAs provide short-range non-cell-autonomous developmental signals that are transported through the plasmodesmata (PD) via the symplastic pathway. 21–24 nucleotide-long small RNA species have been shown to move from the shoot to the root. In this review, we highlight the presence of small RNA species as an emerging class of important mobile signals associated with the growth and development of the root.