Plant Small RNA: Biogenesis, Regulation and Application describes the biosynthesis of small RNA in plant systems. With an emphasis on the various molecular mechanisms affected by small RNA and their applications in supporting plant growth and survival, this books presents the basics and most recent advancements in small RNA mediated plant genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and physiology. In addition, it emphasizes the various molecular mechanisms affected by small RNA and their applications in supporting plant growth and survival. Final sections cover the most recent advancements in small RNA mediated plant genomics, metabolomics, proteomics and physiology. - Presents foundational information about small RNA biology and regulation in plants - Includes small RNA pathway advances - Describes the application and scope of small RNA technology for agricultural stability

Recent major advances in the field of comparative genomics and cytogenomics of plants, particularly associated with the completion of ambitious genome projects, have uncovered astonishing facets of the architecture and evolutionary history of plant genomes. The aim of this book was to review these recent developments as well as their implications in our understanding of the mechanisms which drive plant diversity. New insights into the evolution of gene functions, gene families and genome size are presented, with particular emphasis on the evolutionary impact of polyploidization and transposable elements. Knowledge on the structure and evolution of plant sex chromosomes, centromeres and microRNAs is reviewed and updated. Taken together, the contributions by internationally recognized experts present a panoramic overview of the structural features and evolutionary dynamics of plant genomes.This volume of Genome Dynamics will provide researchers, teachers and students in the fields of biology and agronomy with a valuable source of current knowledge on plant genomes.

This detailed volume provides a collection of protocols for the study of miRNA functions in plants. Beginning with coverage of miRNA function, biogenesis, activity, and evolution in plants, the book continues by guiding readers through methods on the identification and detection of plant miRNAs, bioinformatic analyses, and strategies for functional analyses of miRNAs. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and cutting-edge, Plant MicroRNAs: Method and Protocols aims to ensure successful results in the further study of this vital area of plant science.

MicroRNAs constitute a particularly important class of small RNAs given their abundance, broad phylogenetic conservation and strong regulatory effects, with plant miRNAs uniquely divulging their ancient evolutionary origins and their strong post-transcriptional regulatory effects. In Plant MicroRNAs: Methods and Protocols, experts in the field present chapters that focus on the identification, validation, and characterization of the miRNA class of RNAs, and address important aspects about heterochromatic small interfering RNAs. In addition, the methods contained in this volume emphasize miRNA analyses, but also include ways to distinguish one class of small RNAs from another. As a volume in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series, chapters include brief introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easy to use, Plant MicroRNAs: Methods and Protocols provides the research community with a set of protocols that will help advance vital miRNA research for all plant species, both in typical model species and non-model species alike.

Viruses and RNAi share an intricate relationship at many levels. RNAi is an important antiviral defense mechanism in plants and invertebrates, microRNAs – of viral or cellular origin – affect many aspects of virus biology, and replication of many, if not all, mammalian viruses can be suppressed by RNAi. Antiviral RNAi: Concepts, Methods, and Applications provides a collection of protocols for the analysis of viral small RNAs and natural antiviral RNAi responses as well as for the development and optimization of RNAi-based antiviral drugs. As RNAi is a central regulatory mechanism in the cell, the methods in this volume can also be applied out of the context of a virus infection. Divided into five convenient parts, this detailed volume reviews important basic concepts in the field of antiviral RNAi, provides experimental and bio-informatic tools for the analysis of small silencing RNAs, covers methods to biochemically dissect RNAi-based antiviral defense and viral counter-defense mechanisms, describes methods for the design, expression, and delivery of therapeutic antiviral siRNAs, and finally presents genome-wide RNAi approaches for the identification of factors involved in virus replication. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular BiologyTM series format, chapters contain introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and accessible, Antiviral RNAi: Concepts, Methods, and Applications serves as an ideal guide for both novice and experienced researchers alike striving to dissect the role of RNAi in the viral life cycle or to further boost the development of novel therapeutics and experimental tools based on RNAi technology.

This book presents, in 26 chapters, the status quo in epigenomic profiling. It discusses how functional information can be indirectly inferred and describes the new approaches that promise functional answers, collectively referred to as epigenome editing. It highlights the latest important advances in our understanding of the functions of plant epigenomics and new technologies for the study of epigenomic marks and mechanisms in plants. Topics include the deposition or removal of chromatin modifications and histone variants, the role of epigenetics in development and response to environmental signals, natural variation and ecology, as well as applications for epigenetics in crop improvement. Discussing areas ranging from the complex regulation of stress and heterosis to the precise mechanisms of DNA and histone modifications, it presents breakthroughs in our understanding of complex phenotypic phenomena.

Over the past decades, chromatin remodelling has emerged as an important regulator of gene expression and plant defense. This book provides a detailed understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in plants of agronomic importance. The information presented here is significant because it is expected to provide the knowledge needed to develop in the future treatments to manipulate and selectively activate/inhibit proteins and metabolic pathways to counter pathogens, to treat important diseases and to increase crop productivity. New approaches of this kind and the development of new technologies will certainly increase our knowledge of currently known post-translational modifications and facilitate the understanding of their roles in, for example, host-pathogen interactions and crop productivity. Furthermore, we provide important insight on how the plant epigenome changes in response to developmental or environmental stimuli, how chromatin modifications are established and maintained, to which degree they are used throughout the genome, and how chromatin modifications influence each another.