Analysis and Application of Viroid-Specific Small RNAs Generated by Viroid-Inducing RNA Silencing

Viroids are noncoding RNA pathogens inducing severe to mild disease symptoms on agriculturally important crop plants. Viroid replication is entirely dependent on host transcription machinery, and their replication/accumulation in the infected cells can activate RNA silencing—a host defense mechanism that targets the viroid itself. RNA silencing produces in the cell large amounts of viroid-specific small RNAs of 21–24-nucleotides by cleaving (or “dicing”) entire molecules of viroid RNA. However, viroid replication is resistant to the effects of RNA silencing and disrupts the normal regulation of host gene expression, finally resulting in the development of disease symptoms on infected plant.

Source: Springer protocols feed by Plant Sciences - October 9, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news