MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs which regulate various functions related to growth, development, and stress responses in plants and animals. Rice, Oryza sativa, is one of the most important food crops of the world. In rice, a number of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling yield-related traits have been identified. Some of them are actually controlled by miRNAs, which control various yield-related quantitative traits in rice. On one hand, many of these miRNAs are found to regulate more than one yield-related traits, such as tillering, grain size, and branch number of a panicle. On the other hand, a rice yield-related trait is usually controlled by multiple miRNAs, for example, grain size being controlled by miR156, miR167, miR396, miR397, and miR1432. In rare case, a single miRNA may specifically regulate only one yield-related trait, such as, miR444 regulating rice tillering. In this review, we focus on the functions of miRNAs in controlling yield-related quantitative traits in rice, including panicle grain number, grain weight/size, panicle length and branching, tiller number per plant, spikelet number, seed setting rate, and leaf inclination, and discuss how to modulate the expression of these miRNAs using modern molecular biology tools to promote grain yield. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Development.

中文翻译：

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MicroRNA与定量性状基因座相遇：调控稻米定量产量性状的强大小分子。

微小RNA（miRNA）是小的非编码RNA，可调节与植物和动物的生长，发育和应激反应相关的各种功能。水稻Oryza sativa是世界上最重要的粮食作物之一。在水稻中，已经确定了许多控制产量相关性状的数量性状位点（QTL）。其中一些实际上是由miRNA控制的，miRNA控制水稻中与产量相关的各种定量性状。一方面，发现许多这些miRNA可以调节多个与产量相关的性状，例如分till，籽粒大小和穗的分枝数。另一方面，水稻产量相关性状通常受多种miRNA的控制，例如，晶粒大小受miR156，miR167，miR396，miR397和miR1432的控制。在极少数情况下，单个miRNA可能仅特异性调控一个与产量相关的性状，例如调控水稻分till的miR444。在这篇综述中，我们着重于miRNA在控制水稻产量相关数量性状中的功能，包括穗粒数，粒重/大小，穗长和分支，单株分till数，小穗数，结实率和叶片。倾斜，并讨论如何使用现代分子生物学工具调节这些miRNA的表达以提高谷物产量。本文归类于：疾病与发展中的RNA>发展中的RNA。小穗数目，结实率和叶片倾斜度，并讨论如何使用现代分子生物学工具调节这些miRNA的表达以提高谷物产量。本文归类于：疾病与发展中的RNA>发展中的RNA。小穗数目，结实率和叶片倾斜度，并讨论如何使用现代分子生物学工具调节这些miRNA的表达以提高谷物产量。本文归类于：疾病与发展中的RNA>发展中的RNA。