To bloom or not to bloom: role of microRNAs in plant flowering

Mol Plant. 2015 Mar;8(3):359-77. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2014.12.018. Epub 2014 Dec 31.

Abstract

During the course of their life cycles, plants undergo various morphological and physiological changes underlying juvenile-to-adult and adult-to-flowering phase transitions. To flower or not to flower is a key step of plasticity of a plant toward the start of its new life cycle. In addition to the previously revealed intrinsic genetic programs, exogenous cues, and endogenous cues, a class of small non-coding RNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), plays a key role in plants making the decision to flower by integrating into the known flowering pathways. This review highlights the age-dependent flowering pathway with a focus on a number of timing miRNAs in determining such a key process. The contributions of other miRNAs which exist mainly outside the age pathway are also discussed. Approaches to study the flowering-determining miRNAs, their interactions, and applications are presented.

Keywords: AP2-like; SPL; flowering time; miR156; miR172; miRNA; phase transition.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Flowers / genetics
  • Flowers / growth & development*
  • Flowers / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Plant*
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • RNA, Plant / genetics*
  • RNA, Plant / metabolism

Substances

  • MicroRNAs
  • RNA, Plant