Role of Small RNAs in Crop Improvement

Dear Colleagues,

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), as two major classes of endogenous small RNAs in plants, regulate a variety of developmental and physiological processes with complementary sequences for genes and genomes. siRNAs derived from exogenous sources such as transgenes and viruses were first discovered in plants in 1999, while endogenous small RNAs were first discovered in plants in 2002. In the past ten years, we have extensively and deeply understood the mechanism of the functions of these small molecules in post-transcriptional cleavage and translation repression of target genes. Recent research has begun to uncover the role of small RNAs in agriculture. This Special Issue will focus on the cutting-edge research on the functional mechanisms of small RNAs and especially on their applications in crops, to provide insights for future agricultural practices.

Dr. Cui Zhang
Guest Editor

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• crop
• miRNAs
• siRNAs
• plant development
• pathogen