Regulation of Stomatal Development by Stomatal Lineage miRNAs

Stomata in the plant epidermis play a vital role in growth and survival by controlling gas exchange and immunity to pathogens. A genetic frame of key transcriptional factors and cellular communication has been established, by which plants modulate stomatal cell fate and patterning. miRNAs contribute to functional and developmental plasticity in multicellular organisms. However, it remains very elusive as to whether miRNAs pitch in stomatal development. Here, we reveal dynamic miRNA expression profiles from stomatal lineage cells in a development stage-specific manner and show that stomatal lineage miRNAs positively and negatively regulate stomatal formation and pattern to avoid clustered and paired stomata. Target prediction of stomatal lineage miRNAs suggests potential cellular processes involved in stomatal development. Furthermore, dysregulation of stomatal lineage miRNAs and their target mRNAs disclose unexpected genetic pathways modulating stomatal development. Our study demonstrates that miRNAs constitute an additional layer in the complex regulatory mechanism of stomatal development. Overall design: miRNA profiling from AGO1-associated small RNAs in stomatal lineage cells in arabisopsis