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Compensatory sequence variation between trans-species small RNAs and their target sites.

ABSTRACT: Trans-species small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are delivered to host plants from diverse pathogens and parasites and can target host mRNAs. How trans-species sRNAs can be effective on diverse hosts has been unclear. Multiple species of the parasitic plant Cuscuta produce trans-species sRNAs that collectively target many host mRNAs. Confirmed target sites are nearly always in highly conserved, protein-coding regions of host mRNAs. Cuscuta trans-species sRNAs can be grouped into superfamilies that have variation in a three-nucleotide period. These variants compensate for synonymous-site variation in host mRNAs. By targeting host mRNAs at highly conserved protein-coding sites, and simultaneously expressing multiple variants to cover synonymous-site variation, Cuscuta trans-species sRNAs may be able to successfully target multiple homologous mRNAs from diverse hosts.

SUBMITTER: Johnson NR

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6917502 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Compensatory sequence variation between trans-species small RNAs and their target sites.

Johnson Nathan R NR dePamphilis Claude W CW Axtell Michael J MJ

eLife 20191217

Trans-species small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) are delivered to host plants from diverse pathogens and parasites and can target host mRNAs. How trans-species sRNAs can be effective on diverse hosts has been unclear. Multiple species of the parasitic plant Cuscuta produce trans-species sRNAs that collectively target many host mRNAs. Confirmed target sites are nearly always in highly conserved, protein-coding regions of host mRNAs. Cuscuta trans-species sRNAs can be ...[more]

PMID: 31845648

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Dataset Information

Compensatory sequence variation between trans-species small RNAs and their target sites.

Publications

Compensatory sequence variation between <i>trans</i>-species small RNAs and their target sites.

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