Plant genomes encode various small RNAs that function in distinct, yet overlapping, genetic
and epigenetic silencing pathways. However, the abundance and diversity of small-RNA …

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is the major small RNA-mediated epigenetic
pathway in plants. RdDM requires a specialized transcriptional machinery that comprises …

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is a biological process in which non-coding RNA
molecules direct the addition of DNA methylation to specific DNA sequences. The RdDM …

Small-RNA-guided gene regulation has emerged as one of the fundamental principles in
cell function, and the major protein players in this process are members of the Argonaute …

INTRODUCTION Epigenetic modifications to chromatin, such as the methylation of DNA
cytosines, carry regulatory information across the generations in plants and animals …

A growing number of functions are emerging for RNA interference (RNAi) in the nucleus, in
addition to well-characterized roles in post-transcriptional gene silencing in the cytoplasm …

Regulatory small RNAs, which range in size from 20 to 24 nucleotides, are ubiquitous
components of endogenous plant transcriptomes, as well as common responses to …

In eukaryotic RNA silencing, RNase-III classes of enzymes in the Dicer family process
double-stranded RNA of cellular or exogenous origin into small-RNA (sRNA) molecules …

Epigenetic modifications of the genome are generally stable in somatic cells of multicellular
organisms. In germ cells and early embryos, however, epigenetic reprogramming occurs on …

Phased secondary small interfering RNAs (phasiRNAs) constitute a major category of small
RNAs in plants, but most of their functions are still poorly defined. Some phasiRNAs, known …