GC content fluctuation around plant small RNA-generating sites

RNA Isolation (Small RNA Extraction). Fatemeh Mehrpooyan*

Small revisions to predicted distances around metal sites in proteins.

A new analysis has been made of distances around metal sites in protein structures in the Protein Data Bank determined with resolution < or =1.25 A and equivalent distances have been extracted from the Cambridge Structural Database. They are for the metals Na, Mg, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Zn and the donor atoms O of water, O of Asp and Glu, O of the main-chain carbonyl group, N of His and S of Cy...

Role of RNA polymerase IV in plant small RNA metabolism.

In addition to the three RNA polymerases (RNAP I-III) shared by all eukaryotic organisms, plant genomes encode a fourth RNAP (RNAP IV) that appears to be specialized in the production of siRNAs. Available data support a model in which dsRNAs are generated by RNAP IV and RNA-dependent RNAP 2 (RDR2) and processed by DICER (DCL) enzymes into 21- to 24-nt siRNAs, which are associated with different...

Small interfering RNA; principles, applications and challenges--

Gene silencing using RNAi (RNA interference), has recently been used as a successful laboratory technique in determining the function and control of gene expression and provides a wide range of applications in molecular biology and gene therapy. RNAi is a method of suppressing gene expression. In this direction, a single-stranded RNA molecule of about 21–23 nucleotides, called siRNA (small inte...

Plant-Aid Remediation of Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Sites

Phytoremediation is an emerging green technology that uses plants and their associated microbes to remediate different environments contaminated with various pollutants. Phytoremediation, as an effective soil remediation technology, has gained popularity in the past ten years both in developed and developing countries. The main goal of the current article is to improve the understanding of phyt...