RNA editing in plants: A comprehensive survey of bioinformatics tools and databases

Plant Physiol Biochem. 2019 Apr:137:53-61. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.02.001. Epub 2019 Feb 2.

Abstract

RNA editing is a widespread epitranscriptomic mechanism by which primary RNAs are specifically modified through insertions/deletions or nucleotide substitutions. In plants, RNA editing occurs in organelles (plastids and mitochondria), involves the cytosine to uridine modification (rarely uridine to cytosine) within protein-coding and non-protein-coding regions of RNAs and affects organelle biogenesis, adaptation to environmental changes and signal transduction. High-throughput sequencing technologies have dramatically improved the detection of RNA editing sites at genomic scale. Consequently, different bioinformatics resources have been released to discovery and/or collect novel events. Here, we review and describe the state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools devoted to the characterization of RNA editing in plant organelles with the aim to improve our knowledge about this fascinating but yet under investigated process.

Keywords: C-To-U change; Chloroplast; Database; Mitochondrion; Organelle; RNA editing.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Chloroplasts / genetics
  • Computational Biology / methods*
  • Databases, Genetic*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
  • Plants / genetics*
  • RNA Editing / physiology*
  • RNA, Plant

Substances

  • RNA, Plant