Publications by authors named "Ho-Ming Chen"

During RNA turnover, the action of endo- and exo-ribonucleases can yield RNA decay intermediates with specific 5' ends. These RNA decay intermediates have been demonstrated to be the outcome of decapping, microRNA-directed endo-cleavage, or the protected fragments of ribosomes and exon-junction complexes. Therefore, global analysis of RNA decay intermediates can facilitate studies of many RNA decay pathways.

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  • - Marchantia polymorpha, a model plant for bryophytes, demonstrates how RNA silencing helps early land plants cope with high temperatures, through the unique ARGONAUTE1 ortholog gene (MpAGO1) regulated by specific microRNAs (miR11707.1 and miR11707.2).
  • - Analysis revealed that MpAGO1 is less selective for various small RNA species compared to its counterpart in Arabidopsis (AtAGO1), indicating complexities in microRNA species specificity that require further investigation.
  • - The study showed that while MpAGO1 mRNA decreases with temperature changes, the stability of MpAGO1 protein and its miRNAs boosts the activity of the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC
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  • 5'-3' exoribonucleases (XRNs) regulate RNA processing and degradation in eukaryotes, with a focus on their roles in Arabidopsis mRNA decay profiles.
  • Deficiencies in nuclear XRN3 and cytoplasmic XRN4 significantly alter mRNA decay, highlighting XRN3’s role in removing remnants of pre-mRNA processing.
  • The study identifies key decay intermediates and endonucleolytic cleavage mechanisms that affect Arabidopsis mRNA, enhancing our understanding of RNA degradation processes.
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Shift work (SW) is the main working schedule worldwide, and it may cause sleep disorders, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Low back pain (LBP) is a common problem in the workplace; however, the association between LBP and SW remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine the association between SW and LBP.

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Background: The selection of tissue culture-derived somaclonal variants of Giant Cavendish banana (Musa spp., Cavendish sub-group AAA) by the Taiwan Banana Research Institute (TBRI) has resulted in several cultivars resistant to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp.

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Bananas are among the world's most important cash and staple crops but are threatened by various devastating pathogens. The phytohormone salicylic acid (SA) plays a key role in the regulation of plant immune response. Tracking the expression of SA-responsive marker genes under pathogen infection is important in pathogenesis elucidation.

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  • The eligibility criteria for statin reimbursement in Taiwan were changed in 2013, allowing more patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or related risk factors to qualify.
  • The study used Taiwan's National Health Insurance database to analyze statin treatment patterns before and after the regulation change, focusing on both secondary prevention (new ASCVD patients) and primary prevention (patients with CVD-related risk factors).
  • Results showed an increase in statin initiation rates post-regulation but indicated that a significant number of patients still discontinued use, with over half of coronary heart disease patients stopping treatment within a year, highlighting ongoing challenges in patient adherence.
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Exon junction complexes (EJCs) are deposited on mRNAs during splicing and displaced by ribosomes during the pioneer round of translation. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) degrades EJC-bound mRNA, but the lack of suitable methodology has prevented the identification of other degradation pathways. Here, we show that the RNA degradomes of Arabidopsis (), rice (), worm (), and human () cells exhibit an enrichment of 5' monophosphate (5'P) ends of degradation intermediates that map to the canonical EJC region.

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Transgenic approaches employing RNA interference (RNAi) strategies have been successfully applied to generate desired traits in plants; however, variations between RNAi transgenic siblings and the ability to quickly apply RNAi resistance to diverse cultivars remain challenging. In this study, we assessed the promoter activity of a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (35S) and a phloem-specific promoter derived from rice tungro bacilliform virus (RTBV) and their efficacy to drive RNAi against the endogenous gene () that acts as a RNAi marker, through chlorophyll synthesis inhibition, and against tomato yellow leaf curl Thailand virus (TYLCTHV), a begomovirus (family ) reported to be the prevalent cause of tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) in Taiwan. Transgenic expressing hairpin RNA of GSA driven by either the 35S or RTBV promoter revealed that RTBV::hpGSA induced stronger silencing along the vein and more uniformed silencing phenotype among its siblings than 35S::hpGSA.

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Banana (Musa spp.) is one of the world's most important staple and cash crops. Despite accumulating genetic and transcriptomic data, low transformation efficiency in agronomically important Musa spp.

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DICER-LIKE (DCL) enzymes process double-stranded RNA into small RNAs that act as regulators of gene expression. Arabidopsis DCL4 and DCL2 each allow the post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) of viruses and transgenes, but primary PTGS-prone DCL4 outcompetes transitive PTGS-prone DCL2 in wild-type plants. This hierarchy likely prevents DCL2 having any detrimental effects on endogenous genes.

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High-throughput approaches for profiling the 5' ends of RNA degradation intermediates on a genome-wide scale are frequently applied to analyze and validate cleavage sites guided by microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the complexity of the RNA degradome other than miRNA targets is currently largely uncharacterized, and this limits the application of RNA degradome studies. We conducted a global analysis of 5'-truncated mRNA ends that mapped to coding sequences (CDSs) of Arabidopsis thaliana, rice (Oryza sativa), and soybean (Glycine max).

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Plant microRNAs (miRNAs) are predominantly 21 nucleotides (nt) long but non-canonical lengths of 22 and 20 nt are commonly observed in diverse plant species. While miRNAs longer than 21 nt can be attributed to the neglect of unpaired bases within asymmetric bulges by the ruler function of dicer-like 1 (DCL1), how 20-nt miRNA is generated remains obscure. Analysis of small RNA data revealed that 20-nt miRNA can be divided into 3 main groups featured by atypical 3' overhangs or shorter duplex regions.

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Background: Degradation is essential for RNA maturation, turnover, and quality control. RNA degradome sequencing that integrates a modified 5'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends protocol with next-generation sequencing technologies is a high-throughput approach for profiling the 5'-end of uncapped RNA fragments on a genome-wide scale. The primary application of degradome sequencing has been to identify the truncated transcripts that result from endonucleolytic cleavage guided by microRNAs or small interfering RNAs.

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Analysis of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) small RNA data sets revealed the presence of a regulatory cascade affecting disease resistance. The initiators of the cascade are microRNA members of an unusually diverse superfamily in which miR482 and miR2118 are prominent members. Members of this superfamily are variable in sequence and abundance in different species, but all variants target the coding sequence for the P-loop motif in the mRNA sequences for disease resistance proteins with nucleotide binding site (NBS) and leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motifs.

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Article Synopsis
  • Light plays a crucial role in plant growth by regulating mRNA levels, but the role of translational regulation in response to light is not well understood.
  • A study comparing steady-state and polysome-bound mRNAs reveals that translational control significantly affects many genes during photomorphogenesis, particularly those for ribosomal proteins, indicating increased translation efficiency.
  • The research identifies specific characteristics of mRNAs that are regulated at the translational level, providing new insights into gene expression during light exposure in Arabidopsis and suggesting avenues for further study on how light influences translation.
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The effect of RNA silencing in plants can be amplified if the production of secondary small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) is triggered by the interaction of microRNAs (miRNAs) or siRNAs with a long target RNA. miRNA and siRNA interactions are not all equivalent, however; most of them do not trigger secondary siRNA production. Here we use bioinformatics to show that the secondary siRNA triggers are miRNAs and transacting siRNAs of 22 nt, rather than the more typical 21-nt length.

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Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are noncoding RNAs that direct 2'-O-methylation or pseudouridylation on ribosomal RNAs or spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs. These modifications are needed to modulate the activity of ribosomes and spliceosomes. A comprehensive repertoire of snoRNAs is needed to expand the knowledge of these modifications.

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Small RNAs play pivotal roles in regulating gene expression in higher eukaryotes. Among them, trans-acting siRNAs (ta-siRNAs) are a class of small RNAs that regulate plant development. The biogenesis of ta-siRNA depends on microRNA-targeted cleavage followed by the DCL4-mediated production of small RNAs phased in 21-nt increments relative to the cleavage site on both strands.

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