Small Silencing RNAs in Plants Are Mobile and Direct Epigenetic Modification in Recipient Cells

TLDR

siRNA movement in plant tissues is crucial for development and defense, yet the mobile signals are thought to be nucleic acids whose exact nature remains unknown. A viral protein that sequesters siRNAs blocks the spread of a transgene RNAi silencing signal. Both exogenous and endogenous siRNAs, rather than their long dsRNA precursors, transfer information between cells; siRNA‑processing enzymes are required in source cells, and endogenous siRNAs can spread between tissues and direct DNA methylation of target sequences in distant tissues. Molnar et al.

Abstract

siRNA Movement in Plant Tissues Long-distance movement of RNA interference (RNAi)–derived signals in plants plays an important role in development and in defense against viral attack. The nature of the signals that spread from cell to cell is not known, although evidence suggests that they are nucleic acids of some sort (see the Perspective by Martienssen ). Molnar et al. (p. 872 , published online 22 April) and Dunoyer et al. (p. 912 , published online 22 April) now show that in Arabidopsis , both exogenous and endogenous small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), rather than their long double-stranded precursor RNAs, are the molecules that transfer information between plant cells. A viral protein that counters RNAi though sequestering siRNAs blocked spreading of a transgene RNAi silencing signal. Furthermore, siRNA-processing enzymes were required in the source, and not the recipient, cells for spreading, and bombardment of plants with double-stranded siRNAs directly showed siRNA spread between cells. Endogenous siRNAs also spread between tissues and were capable of directing DNA methylation of target sequences in distant tissues.