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A marked end

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology volume 14, pages 259–260 (2007)Cite this article

microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs from plants are 2′-O-methylated at their 3′ termini. Although miRNAs from animals are not methylated, two studies show that the recently identified mammalian Piwi-interacting RNAs carry a 2′-O-methyl group on the 3′ terminal ribose.

Small RNAs of 20–30 nucleotides (nt) have emerged as universal regulators of gene expression and genome stability in fungi, plants and animals. The three currently known types of small RNAs — miRNAs, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) — are unified by their common structural features, such as 5′-phosphate and 3′-hydroxyl groups, and their interaction with Argonaute proteins. On pages 347 and 349 of this issue, studies from two groups reveal 2′-O-methylation of piRNAs1,2, a modification that has implications for the metabolism of this type of small RNA.

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Figure 1: miRNAs and siRNAs are methylated by HEN1 in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Figure 2: Two models of rasiRNA and piRNA methylation.

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  1. Xuemei Chen is in the Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA. xuemei.chen@ucr.edu,

    Xuemei Chen

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Chen, X. A marked end. Nat Struct Mol Biol 14, 259–260 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb0407-259

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