Plant isomiRs: origins, biogenesis, and biological functions

Ehsan Mohseni Fard, Sharif Moradi, Nava Nikpay Salekdeh, Behnam Bakhshi, Mohammad Reza Ghaffari, Mehrshad Zeinalabedini, Ghasem Hosseini Salekdeh*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    13 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous non-coding RNAs in eukaryotes which regulate the expression of numerous genes post-transcriptionally, thereby playing critical roles in cells and organismal development. The high-throughput sequencing technologies enable the effective detection and annotation of miRNAs. Several miRNA variants with heterogeneous ends, lengths, and sequences can be generated from a single miRNA locus. Discovery of these miRNA variants, also known as miRNA isoforms or isomiRs, has made our understanding of the cells' miRNome deeper than previously pictured. Despite their wide presence in multiple datasets, the different possible origins and true biological significance of isomiRs are yet to be uncovered. Several recent emerging studies suggest that isomiRs are biologically active and non-randomly formed. This review aims to provide a comprehensive insight into the origins and biological importance of isomiRs, highlighting the enormous complexity of miRNA regulatory networks which broadens our knowledge about the post-transcriptional gene regulation in plants.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)3382-3395
    Number of pages14
    JournalGenomics
    Volume112
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2020

    Keywords

    • isomiR
    • RNA editing
    • Dicer
    • next-generation sequencing
    • RNAi
    • miRNome

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