Background: RNA silencing is a process triggered by 21ââ?¬â??24 small RNAs to repress gene expression. Many organisms\r\nincluding plants use RNA silencing to regulate development and physiology, and to maintain genome stability. Plants\r\npossess two classes of small RNAs: microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). The frameworks of miRNA\r\nand siRNA pathways have been established in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis).\r\nResults: Here we report the identification of putative genes that are required for the generation and function of\r\nmiRNAs and siRNAs in soybean and sorghum, based on knowledge obtained from Arabidopsis. The gene families,\r\nincluding DCL, HEN1, SE, HYL1, HST, RDR, NRPD1, NRPD2/NRPE2, NRPE1, and AGO, were analyzed for gene structures,\r\nphylogenetic relationships, and protein motifs. The gene expression was validated using RNA-seq, expressed sequence\r\ntags (EST), and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR).\r\nConclusions: The identification of these components could provide not only insight into RNA silencing mechanism in\r\nsoybean and sorghum but also basis for further investigation. All data are available at http://sysbio.unl.edu/.
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