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Review
. 2022 Mar;233(5):2047-2057.
doi: 10.1111/nph.17853. Epub 2021 Nov 29.

MicroRNA482/2118, a miRNA superfamily essential for both disease resistance and plant development

Yanqing Zhang  1   2   3   4 , Muhammad Waseem  1   2   3   4 , Zaohai Zeng  1   2   3   4 , Jing Xu  4 , Chengjie Chen  1   2   3   4 , Yuanlong Liu  1   2   3   4 , Jixian Zhai  5   6 , Rui Xia  1   2   3   4
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Free article
Review

MicroRNA482/2118, a miRNA superfamily essential for both disease resistance and plant development

Yanqing Zhang et al. New Phytol. 2022 Mar.
Free article

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 21-24 nucleotides (nt) noncoding small RNAs ubiquitously distributed across the plant kingdom. miR482/2118, one of the conserved miRNA superfamilies originating from gymnosperms, has divergent main functions in core-angiosperms. It mainly regulates NUCLEOTIDE BINDING SITE-LEUCINE-RICH REPEAT (NBS-LRR) genes in eudicots, functioning as an essential component in plant disease resistance; in contrast, it predominantly targets numerous long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in monocot grasses, which are vital for plant reproduction. Usually, miR482/2118 is 22-nt in length, which can trigger the production of phased small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) after directed cleavage. PhasiRNAs instigated from target genes of miR482/2118 enhance their roles in corresponding biological processes by cis-regulation on cognate genes and expands their function to other pathways via trans activity on different genes. This review summarizes the origin, biogenesis, conservation, and evolutionary characteristics of the miR482/2118 superfamily and delineates its diverse functions in disease resistance, plant development, stress responses, etc.

Keywords: NBS-LRR; disease resistance; evolution; function divergence; genic male sterility; miR482/2118 superfamily; phasiRNAs; reproduction.

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