Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.
Plant Mol Biol. 2012 Sep;80(1):55-65. doi: 10.1007/s11103-011-9761-5. Epub 2011 Mar 4.
Having diverged from the lineage that lead to flowering plants shortly after plants have established on land, mosses, which share fundamental processes with flowering plants but underwent little morphological changes by comparison with the fossil records, can be considered as an evolutionary informative place. Hence, they are especially useful for the study of developmental evolution and adaption to life on land. The transition to land exposed early plants to harsh physical conditions that resulted in key physiological and developmental changes. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an important class of small RNAs (sRNAs) that act as master regulators of development and stress in flowering plants. In recent years several groups have been engaged in the cloning of sRNAs from the model moss Physcomitrella patens. These studies have revealed a wealth of miRNAs, including novel and conserved ones, creating a unique opportunity to broaden our understanding of miRNA functions in land plants and their contribution to the latter's evolution. Here we review the current knowledge of moss miRNAs and suggest approaches for their functional analysis in P. patens.
苔藓植物在植物登陆后不久就与开花植物分道扬镳，它们与开花植物共享基本过程，但与化石记录相比，形态变化很小，可以被认为是一个进化信息丰富的地方。因此，它们特别有助于研究发育进化和适应陆地生活。向陆地的过渡使早期植物暴露在恶劣的物理条件下，导致了关键的生理和发育变化。microRNAs（miRNAs）是一类重要的小 RNA（sRNAs），它们作为开花植物发育和应激的主要调节剂。近年来，有几个研究小组从事从模式苔藓植物拟南芥中克隆 sRNAs 的工作。这些研究揭示了大量的 miRNA，包括新的和保守的 miRNA，为我们拓宽对 miRNA 在陆地植物中的功能及其对后者进化的贡献的理解提供了独特的机会。本文综述了苔藓植物 miRNA 的研究现状，并提出了在拟南芥中进行功能分析的方法。
