Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in gene regulation in many plant tissues and organs during various developmental stages. Previous studies have suggested the importance of gene regulation by miRNA in seeds. Characterizing the expression of miRNAs and their target genes in dormant and germinating seeds helps to gain a better understanding of the regulatory role of miRNAs during seed dormancy and germination. This can be achieved by implementing a simple miRNA extraction method using fractionation with isopropanol and Northern blot analysis using nonradioactive miRNA probes. Functional analysis of miRNA target genes potentially associated with seed dormancy and germination can be examined using mutant seeds in which specific miRNAs are deregulated by introducing silent mutations in the miRNA target sites of these genes.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Dr. George Bassel for providing unpublished information on the bioinformatic analysis of seed dormancy- and germination-associated genes. This work was supported by a BOYSCAST grant (awarded to A.K.M.B.) and a National Science Foundation grant INB-0237562 (awarded to H.N.).
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Kumar, M.B.A., Martin, R.C., Nonogaki, H. (2011). Isolation of MicroRNAs that Regulate Seed Dormancy and Germination. In: Kermode, A. (eds) Seed Dormancy. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 773. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-231-1_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-231-1_13
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