Abstract
Our group has much interest in the biogenesis of siRNAs and miRNAs and their functions. To study the miRNA, we mostly choose miR163 as a model microRNA mainly because of its abundance. We could show that Dicer-like 1 (DCL1) and HYL1 collaborate and execute the efficient and correct processing of miRNA precursor molecules. Now, we are trying to visualize the intranuclear processing process by live-imaging and immunoprecipitation.
When we analyzed small RNA molecules of virus-infected and healthy Arabidopsis by bulk-cloning and sequencing, it turned out that about 1/8 was siRNA and one-quarter was miRNA. We could isolate novel miRNAs that were not reported yet. Either dcl single mutants could support siRNA production at the level of wild type plants. Dicer-like proteins are likely to have overlapping functions in response to virus infection.
