The Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein SmD1 Interplays with Splicing, RNA Quality Control, and Posttranscriptional Gene Silencing in Arabidopsis.

RNA quality control (RQC) eliminates aberrant RNAs based on their atypical structure, whereas posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) eliminates both aberrant and functional RNAs through the sequence-specific action of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The Arabidopsis thaliana mutant smd1b was identified in a genetic screen for PTGS deficiency, revealing the involvement of SmD1, a component of the Smith (Sm) complex, in PTGS. The smd1a and smd1b single mutants are viable, but the smd1a smd1b double mutant is embryo-lethal, indicating that SmD1 function is essential.

Long noncoding RNA modulates alternative splicing regulators in Arabidopsis.

Alternative splicing (AS) of pre-mRNA represents a major mechanism underlying increased transcriptome and proteome complexity. Here, we show that the nuclear speckle RNA-binding protein (NSR) and the AS competitor long noncoding RNA (or ASCO-lncRNA) constitute an AS regulatory module. AtNSR-GFP translational fusions are expressed in primary and lateral root (LR) meristems.

Independent activity of the homologous small regulatory RNAs AbcR1 and AbcR2 in the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti.

The legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti expresses a plethora of small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) whose function is mostly unknown. Here, we have functionally characterized two tandemly encoded S. meliloti Rm1021 sRNAs that are similar in sequence and structure.

Cytoplasmic and nuclear quality control and turnover of single-stranded RNA modulate post-transcriptional gene silencing in plants.

Eukaryotic RNA quality control (RQC) uses both endonucleolytic and exonucleolytic degradation to eliminate dysfunctional RNAs. In addition, endogenous and exogenous RNAs are degraded through post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS), which is triggered by the production of double-stranded (ds)RNAs and proceeds through short-interfering (si)RNA-directed ARGONAUTE-mediated endonucleolytic cleavage. Compromising cytoplasmic or nuclear 5'-3' exoribonuclease function enhances sense-transgene (S)-PTGS in Arabidopsis, suggesting that these pathways compete for similar RNA substrates.

Dual RNAs in plants.

Plants have remarkable developmental plasticity, and the same genotype can result in different phenotypes depending on environmental variation. Indeed, abiotic stresses or biotic interactions affect organogenesis and post-embryonic growth and significantly affect gene regulation. The large diversity of non-protein-coding RNAs (npcRNAs) and genes containing only short open reading frames that are expressed during plant growth and development, contribute to the regulation of gene expression.

Non-protein-coding RNAs and their interacting RNA-binding proteins in the plant cell nucleus.

The complex responses of eukaryotic cells to external factors are governed by several transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes. Several of them occur in the nucleus and have been linked to the action of non-protein-coding RNAs (or npcRNAs), both long and small npcRNAs, that recently emerged as major regulators of gene expression. Regulatory npcRNAs acting in the nucleus include silencing-related RNAs, intergenic npcRNAs, natural antisense RNAs, and other aberrant RNAs resulting from the interplay between global transcription and RNA processing activities (such as Dicers and RNA-dependent polymerases).