Small But Powerful: MicroRNA-Derived Peptides Promote Grape Adventitious Root Formation.

Although plant genomes typically contain hundreds of microRNA (miRNA)-encoding genes, we know little about how miRNA expression is regulated (Wang et al.,2019). The expression of Arabidopsis miRNA171, which targets SCARECROW-like transcription factors involved in lateral root formation, was previously described to be controlled by small peptides derived from small open reading frames (ORFs) on the same primary transcript as miRNA171 itself (Fig. 1; Lauressergues et al., 2015). This discovery of miRNA-derived peptides (miPEPs) opened the door for new technologies controlling gene expression without the need for genetic modification.