DCL1, a Protein that Produces Plant MicroRNA, Coordinates Meristem Activity

Abstract Abstract Introduction Results Discussion Materials and Methods Authors' contributions Funding References The ubiquity and importance of short duplex RNAs, termed microRNA (miRNA), for normal development in higher eukaryotes are becoming increasingly clear. We had previously shown that reduction-of-function mutations in Arabidopsis thaliana DCL1 (DICER-LIKE1) gene, affecting the nucleus-localized protein that produces 19-25 nucleotides long miRNA species from longer double stranded RNA precursors, cause a delay in flowering by prolonging the period of juvenile organ development. Here we show that DCL1 transcription is increased at the critical phase of juvenile to reproductive develo