Abstract
microRNAs (miRNAs) are sequence-specific negative regulators of gene expression generated by DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1) with the assistance of a double-stranded RNA-binding protein, HYPONASTIC LEAVES1 (HYL1), in Arabidopsis. To achieve better understanding of miRNA biogenesis, we isolated a hyl1 suppressor and identified a missense mutation in the RNA helicase domain of DCL1 leading to the suppression. This study suggests significant roles of the helicase domain of DCL1, which remains unclear to date, possibly in the functional relation with HYL1. In animals, a cytoplasmic structure called processing body (P-body) is known where resting mRNAs or some mRNAs specifically targeted by miRNAs accumulate. We have been characterizing similar Arabidopsis P-bodies, of which function remain elusive in plants. Here we present the latest data showing the dynamics of P-body in living plant cells.
