Introducing Extended Consultations for Patients with Severe Mental Illness in General Practice.:Results from the SOFIA Feasibility Study

Abstract Background People with a severe mental illness (SMI) have shorter life expectancy and poorer quality of life compared to the general population. Most years lost are due to cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and various types of cancer. We co-designed an intervention to mitigate this health problem with key stakeholders in the area, which centred on an extended consultations for people with SMI in general practice. This study aimed to1) investigate general practitioners’ (GPs) experience of the feasibility of introducing extended consultations for patients with SMI, 2) assess the clinical content of extended consultations and how these were experienced by patients, and 3) investigate the feasibility of identification, eligibility screening, and recruitment of patients with SMI. Methods The study was a one-armed feasibility study. We planned that seven general practices in northern Denmark would introduce extended consultations with their patients with SMI for 6 months. Patients with SMI were identified using practice medical records and screened for eligibility by the patients’ GP. Data were collected using case report forms filled out by practice personnel and via qualitative methods, including observations of consultations, individual semi-structured interviews, a focus group with GPs, and informal conversations with patients and general practice staff. Results Five general practices employing seven GPs participated in the study, which was terminated 3 ½ month ahead of schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. General practices attempted to contact 57 patients with SMI. Of these, 38 patients (67%) attended an extended consultation, which led to changes in the somatic health care plan for 82% of patients. Conduct of the extended consultations varied between GPs and diverged from the intended conduct. Nonetheless, GPs found the extended consultations feasible and, in most cases, beneficial for the patient group. In interviews, most patients recounted the extended consultation as beneficial. Discussion Our findings suggest that it is feasible to introduce extended consultations for patients with SMI in general practice, which were also found to be well-suited for eliciting patients’ values and preferences. Larger studies with a longer follow-up period could help to assess the long-term effects and the best implementation strategies of these consultations

Proximity to Sports Facilities and Sports Participation for Adolescents in Germany

Objectives - To assess the relationship between proximity to specific sports facilities and participation in the corresponding sports activities for adolescents in Germany. Methods - A sample of 1,768 adolescents aged 11–17 years old and living in 161 German communities was examined. Distances to the nearest sports facilities were calculated as an indicator of proximity to sports facilities using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Participation in specific leisure-time sports activities in sports clubs was assessed using a self-report questionnaire and individual-level socio-demographic variables were derived from a parent questionnaire. Community-level socio-demographics as covariates were selected from the INKAR database, in particular from indicators and maps on land development. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between proximity to the nearest sports facilities and participation in the corresponding sports activities. Results - The logisitic regression analyses showed that girls residing longer distances from the nearest gym were less likely to engage in indoor sports activities; a significant interaction between distances to gyms and level of urbanization was identified. Decomposition of the interaction term showed that for adolescent girls living in rural areas participation in indoor sports activities was positively associated with gym proximity. Proximity to tennis courts and indoor pools was not associated with participation in tennis or water sports, respectively. Conclusions - Improved proximity to gyms is likely to be more important for female adolescents living in rural areas

Redundant and Specific Roles of the ARGONAUTE Proteins AGO1 and ZLL in Development and Small RNA-Directed Gene Silencing

The Arabidopsis ARGONAUTE1 (AGO1) and ZWILLE/PINHEAD/AGO10 (ZLL) proteins act in the miRNA and siRNA pathways and are essential for multiple processes in development. Here, we analyze what determines common and specific function of both proteins. Analysis of ago1 mutants with partially compromised AGO1 activity revealed that loss of ZLL function re-establishes both siRNA and miRNA pathways for a subset of AGO1 target genes. Loss of ZLL function in ago1 mutants led to increased AGO1 protein levels, whereas AGO1 mRNA levels were unchanged, implicating ZLL as a negative regulator of AGO1 at the protein level. Since ZLL, unlike AGO1, is not subjected to small RNA-mediated repression itself, this cross regulation has the potential to adjust RNA silencing activity independent of feedback dynamics. Although AGO1 is expressed in a broader pattern than ZLL, expression of AGO1 from the ZLL promoter restored transgene PTGS and most developmental defects of ago1, whereas ZLL rescued only a few AGO1 functions when expressed from the AGO1 promoter, suggesting that the specific functions of AGO1 and ZLL are mainly determined by their protein sequence. Protein domain swapping experiments revealed that the PAZ domain, which in AGO1 is involved in binding small RNAs, is interchangeable between both proteins, suggesting that this common small RNA-binding domain contributes to redundant functions. By contrast, the conserved MID and PIWI domains, which are involved in 5′-end small RNA selectivity and mRNA cleavage, and the non-conserved N-terminal domain, to which no function has been assigned, provide specificity to AGO1 and ZLL protein function

The importance of sedimenting organic matter, relative to oxygen and temperature, in structuring lake profundal macroinvertebrate assemblages

We quantified the role of a main food resource, sedimenting organic matter (SOM), relative to oxygen (DO) and temperature (TEMP) in structuring profundal macroinvertebrate assemblages in boreal lakes. SOM from 26 basins of 11 Finnish lakes was analysed for quantity (sedimentation rates), quality (C:N:P stoichiometry) and origin (carbon stable isotopes, d13C). Hypolimnetic oxygen and temperature were measured from each site during summer stratification. Partial canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and partial regression analyses were used to quantify contributions of SOM, DO and TEMP to community composition and three macroinvertebrate metrics. The results suggested a major contribution of SOM in regulating the community composition and total biomass. Oxygen best explained the Shannon diversity, whereas TEMP had largest contribution to the variation of Benthic Quality Index. Community composition was most strongly related to d13C of SOM. Based on additional d13C and stoichiometric analyses of chironomid taxa, marked differences were apparent in their utilization of SOM and body stoichiometry; taxa characteristic of oligotrophic conditions exhibited higher C:N ratios and lower C:P and N:P ratios compared to the species typical of eutrophic lakes. The results highlight the role of SOM in regulating benthic communities and the distributions of individual species, particularly in oligotrophic systems

Reliability of the modified child and adolescent physical activity and nutrition survey, physical activity (CAPANS-PA) questionnaire among chinese-australian youth

Background : Evidence suggests that differences exist in physical activity (PA) participation among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) children and adolescents. It is possible that these differences could be influenced by variations in measurement technique and instrument reliability. However, culturally sensitive instruments for examining PA behaviour among CALD populations are lacking. This study tested the reliability of the Child and Adolescent Physical Activity and Nutrition Survey (CAPANS-PA) recall questionnaire among a sample of Chinese-Australian youth.Methods : The psychometric property of the CAPANS-PA questionnaire was examined among a sample of 77 Chinese-Australian youth (aged 11 - 14 y) who completed the questionnaire twice within 7 days. Test-retest reliability of individual items and scales within the CAPANS-PA questionnaire was determined using Kappa statistics for categorical variables and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for continuous variables.Results : The CAPANS-PA questionnaire demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability for frequency and duration of time spent in weekly Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA) (ICC &ge; 0.70) for all participants. Test-retest reliability for time spent in weekly sedentary activities was acceptable for females (ICC = 0.82) and males (ICC = 0.72).Conclusions : The results suggest the CAPANS-PA questionnaire provides reliable estimates for type, frequency and duration of MVPA participation among Chinese-Australian youth. Further investigation into the reliability of the sedentary items within the CAPANS-PA is required before these items can be used with confidence. This study is novel in that the reliability of instruments among CALD groups nationally and internationally remains sparse and this study contributes to the wider body of available psychometrically tested instruments. In addition, this study is the first to our knowledge to successfully engage and investigate the basic health enhancing behaviours of Chinese-Australian adolescents.<br /

A Collection of Target Mimics for Comprehensive Analysis of MicroRNA Function in Arabidopsis thaliana

Many targets of plant microRNAs (miRNAs) are thought to play important roles in plant physiology and development. However, because plant miRNAs are typically encoded by medium-size gene families, it has often been difficult to assess their precise function. We report the generation of a large-scale collection of knockdowns for Arabidopsis thaliana miRNA families; this has been achieved using artificial miRNA target mimics, a recently developed technique fashioned on an endogenous mechanism of miRNA regulation. Morphological defects in the aerial part were observed for ∼20% of analyzed families, all of which are deeply conserved in land plants. In addition, we find that non-cleavable mimic sites can confer translational regulation in cis. Phenotypes of plants expressing target mimics directed against miRNAs involved in development were in several cases consistent with previous reports on plants expressing miRNA–resistant forms of individual target genes, indicating that a limited number of targets mediates most effects of these miRNAs. That less conserved miRNAs rarely had obvious effects on plant morphology suggests that most of them do not affect fundamental aspects of development. In addition to insight into modes of miRNA action, this study provides an important resource for the study of miRNA function in plants

Involvement of microRNAs in physiological and pathological processes in the lung

To date, at least 900 different microRNA (miRNA) genes have been discovered in the human genome. These short, single-stranded RNA molecules originate from larger precursor molecules that fold to produce hairpin structures, which are subsequently processed by ribonucleases Drosha/Pasha and Dicer to form mature miRNAs. MiRNAs play role in the posttranscriptional regulation of about one third of human genes, mainly via degradation of target mRNAs. Whereas the target mRNAs are often involved in the regulation of diverse physiological processes ranging from developmental timing to apoptosis, miRNAs have a strong potential to regulate fundamental biological processes also in the lung compartment. However, the knowledge of the role of miRNAs in physiological and pathological conditions in the lung is still limited. This review, therefore, summarizes current knowledge of the mechanism, function of miRNAs and their contribution to lung development and homeostasis. Besides the involvement of miRNAs in pulmonary physiological conditions, there is evidence that abnormal miRNA expression may lead to pathological processes and development of various pulmonary diseases. Next, the review describes current state-of-art on the miRNA expression profiles in smoking-related diseases including lung cancerogenesis, in immune system mediated pulmonary diseases and fibrotic processes in the lung. From the current research it is evident that miRNAs may play role in the posttranscriptional regulation of key genes in human pulmonary diseases. Further studies are, therefore, necessary to explore miRNA expression profiles and their association with target mRNAs in human pulmonary diseases

Crosstalks between Myo-Inositol Metabolism, Programmed Cell Death and Basal Immunity in Arabidopsis

BACKGROUND: Although it is a crucial cellular process required for both normal development and to face stress conditions, the control of programmed cell death in plants is not fully understood. We previously reported the isolation of ATXR5 and ATXR6, two PCNA-binding proteins that could be involved in the regulation of cell cycle or cell death. A yeast two-hybrid screen using ATXR5 as bait captured AtIPS1, an enzyme which catalyses the committed step of myo-inositol (MI) biosynthesis. atips1 mutants form spontaneous lesions on leaves, raising the possibility that MI metabolism may play a role in the control of PCD in plants. In this work, we have characterised atips1 mutants to gain insight regarding the role of MI in PCD regulation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: - lesion formation in atips1 mutants depends of light intensity, is due to PCD as evidenced by TUNEL labelling of nuclei, and is regulated by phytohormones such as salicylic acid - MI and galactinol are the only metabolites whose accumulation is significantly reduced in the mutant, and supplementation of the mutant with these compounds is sufficient to prevent PCD - the transcriptome profile of the mutant is extremely similar to that of lesion mimic mutants such as cpr5, or wild-type plants infected with pathogens. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, our results provide strong evidence for the role of MI or MI derivatives in the regulation of PCD. Interestingly, there are three isoforms of IPS in Arabidopsis, but AtIPS1 is the only one harbouring a nuclear localisation sequence, suggesting that nuclear pools of MI may play a specific role in PCD regulation and opening new research prospects regarding the role of MI in the prevention of tumorigenesis. Nevertheless, the significance of the interaction between AtIPS1 and ATXR5 remains to be established

Plant ARGONAUTEs: Features, Functions and Unknowns

ARGONAUTEs (AGOs) are the effector proteins in eukaryotic small RNA(sRNA)– based gene silencing pathways controlling gene expression and transposon activity. In plants, AGOs regulate key biological processes such as development, response to stress, genome structure and integrity, and pathogen defense. Canonical functions of plant AGO–sRNA complexes include the endonucleolytic cleavage or translational inhibition of target RNAs, and the methylation of target DNAs. Here, I provide a brief update on the major features, molecular functions and biological roles of plant AGOs. A special focus is given to the more recent discoveries related to emerging molecular or biological functions of plant AGOs, as well as to the major unknowns in the plant AGO field.This work was supported by an Individual Fellowship from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 655841 to A.C.Carbonell Olivares, A. (2017). Plant ARGONAUTEs: Features, Functions and Unknowns. En Plant Argonaute Proteins: Methods and Protocols. Springer Link. 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7165-7_1121Meister G (2013) Argonaute proteins: functional insights and emerging roles. Nat Rev Genet 14(7):447–459. doi: 10.1038/nrg3462Huntzinger E, Izaurralde E (2011) Gene silencing by microRNAs: contributions of translational repression and mRNA decay. Nat Rev Genet 12(2):99–110. doi: 10.1038/nrg2936Cerutti H, Casas-Mollano JA (2006) On the origin and functions of RNA-mediated silencing: from protists to man. Curr Genet 50(2):81–99. doi: 10.1007/s00294-006-0078-xFang X, Qi Y (2016) RNAi in plants: an argonaute-centered view. Plant Cell 28(2):272–285. doi: 10.1105/tpc1500920Kapoor M, Arora R, Lama T, Nijhawan A, Khurana JP, Tyagi AK, Kapoor S (2008) Genome-wide identification, organization and phylogenetic analysis of Dicer-like, Argonaute and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene families and their expression analysis during reproductive development and stress in rice. BMC Genomics 9:451. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-9-451Morel JB, Godon C, Mourrain P, Beclin C, Boutet S, Feuerbach F, Proux F, Vaucheret H (2002) Fertile hypomorphic ARGONAUTE (ago1) mutants impaired in post-transcriptional gene silencing and virus resistance. Plant Cell 14(3):629–639. doi: 10.1105/tpc010358Yamasaki T, Kim EJ, Cerutti H, Ohama T (2016) Argonaute3 is a key player in miRNA-mediated target cleavage and translational repression in Chlamydomonas. Plant J 85(2):258–268. doi: 10.1111/tpj13107Schroda M (2006) RNA silencing in Chlamydomonas: mechanisms and tools. Curr Genet 49(2):69–84. doi: 10.1007/s00294-005-0042-1Arif MA, Frank W, Khraiwesh B (2013) Role of RNA interference (RNAi) in the moss Physcomitrella patens. Int J Mol Sci 14(1):1516–1540. doi: 10.3390/ijms14011516Zhang H, Xia R, Meyers BC, Walbot V (2015) Evolution, functions, and mysteries of plant ARGONAUTE proteins. Curr Opin Plant Biol 27:84–90. doi: 10.1016/jpbi201506011Chapman EJ, Carrington JC (2007) Specialization and evolution of endogenous small RNA pathways. Nat Rev Genet 8(11):884–896. doi: 10.1038/nrg2179Tolia NH, Joshua-Tor L (2007) Slicer and the argonautes. Nat Chem Biol 3(1):36–43. doi: 10.1038/nchembio848Song JJ, Smith SK, Hannon GJ, Joshua-Tor L (2004) Crystal structure of Argonaute and its implications for RISC slicer activity. Science 305(5689):1434–1437. doi: 10.1126/science1102514Nakanishi K, Weinberg DE, Bartel DP, Patel DJ (2012) Structure of yeast Argonaute with guide RNA. Nature 486(7403):368–374. doi: 10.1038/nature11211Montgomery TA, Howell MD, Cuperus JT, Li D, Hansen JE, Alexander AL, Chapman EJ, Fahlgren N, Allen E, Carrington JC (2008) Specificity of ARGONAUTE7-miR390 interaction and dual functionality in TAS3 trans-acting siRNA formation. Cell 133(1):128–141. doi: 10.1016/jcell200802033Mi S, Cai T, Hu Y, Chen Y, Hodges E, Ni F, Wu L, Li S, Zhou H, Long C, Chen S, Hannon GJ, Qi Y (2008) Sorting of small RNAs into Arabidopsis Argonaute complexes is directed by the 5′ terminal nucleotide. Cell 133(1):116–127. doi: 10.1016/jcell200802034Takeda A, Iwasaki S, Watanabe T, Utsumi M, Watanabe Y (2008) The mechanism selecting the guide strand from small RNA duplexes is different among argonaute proteins. Plant Cell Physiol 49(4):493–500. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcn043Zhu H, Hu F, Wang R, Zhou X, Sze SH, Liou LW, Barefoot A, Dickman M, Zhang X (2011) Arabidopsis Argonaute10 specifically sequesters miR166/165 to regulate shoot apical meristem development. Cell 145(2):242–256. doi: 10.1016/jcell201103024Zhang X, Niu D, Carbonell A, Wang A, Lee A, Tun V, Wang Z, Carrington JC, Chang CE, Jin H (2014) ARGONAUTE PIWI domain and microRNA duplex structure regulate small RNA sorting in Arabidopsis. Nat Commun 5:5468. doi: 10.1038/ncomms6468Liu J, Carmell MA, Rivas FV, Marsden CG, Thomson JM, Song JJ, Hammond SM, Joshua-Tor L, Hannon GJ (2004) Argonaute2 is the catalytic engine of mammalian RNAi. Science 305(5689):1437–1441. doi: 10.1126/science1102513Sheng G, Zhao H, Wang J, Rao Y, Tian W, Swarts DC, van der Oost J, Patel DJ, Wang Y (2014) Structure-based cleavage mechanism of Thermus thermophilus Argonaute DNA guide strand-mediated DNA target cleavage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111(2):652–657. doi: 10.1073/pnas1321032111Baumberger N, Baulcombe DC (2005) Arabidopsis ARGONAUTE1 is an RNA slicer that selectively recruits microRNAs and short interfering RNAs. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 102(33):11928–11933. doi: 10.1073/pnas0505461102Qi Y, Denli AM, Hannon GJ (2005) Biochemical specialization within Arabidopsis RNA silencing pathways. Mol Cell 19(3):421–428. doi: 10.1016/jmolcel200506014Carbonell A, Fahlgren N, Garcia-Ruiz H, Gilbert KB, Montgomery TA, Nguyen T, Cuperus JT, Carrington JC (2012) Functional analysis of three Arabidopsis ARGONAUTES using slicer-defective mutants. Plant Cell 24(9):3613–3629. doi: 10.1105/tpc112099945Qi Y, He X, Wang XJ, Kohany O, Jurka J, Hannon GJ (2006) Distinct catalytic and non-catalytic roles of ARGONAUTE4 in RNA-directed DNA methylation. Nature 443(7114):1008–1012. doi: 10.1038/nature05198Ji L, Liu X, Yan J, Wang W, Yumul RE, Kim YJ, Dinh TT, Liu J, Cui X, Zheng B, Agarwal M, Liu C, Cao X, Tang G, Chen X (2011) ARGONAUTE10 and ARGONAUTE1 regulate the termination of floral stem cells through two microRNAs in Arabidopsis. PLoS Genet 7(3):e1001358. doi: 10.1371/journalpgen1001358Llave C, Xie Z, Kasschau KD, Carrington JC (2002) Cleavage of Scarecrow-like mRNA targets directed by a class of Arabidopsis miRNA. Science 297(5589):2053–2056. doi: 10.1126/science1076311Rhoades MW, Reinhart BJ, Lim LP, Burge CB, Bartel B, Bartel DP (2002) Prediction of plant microRNA targets. Cell 110(4):513–520. doi: 10.1016/S0092-8674(02)00863-2Mallory AC, Reinhart BJ, Jones-Rhoades MW, Tang G, Zamore PD, Barton MK, Bartel DP (2004) MicroRNA control of PHABULOSA in leaf development: importance of pairing to the microRNA 5′ region. EMBO J 23(16):3356–3364. doi: 10.1038/sjemboj7600340German MA, Pillay M, Jeong DH, Hetawal A, Luo S, Janardhanan P, Kannan V, Rymarquis LA, Nobuta K, German R, De Paoli E, Lu C, Schroth G, Meyers BC, Green PJ (2008) Global identification of microRNA-target RNA pairs by parallel analysis of RNA ends. Nat Biotechnol 26(8):941–946. doi: 10.1038/nbt1417Addo-Quaye C, Eshoo TW, Bartel DP, Axtell MJ (2008) Endogenous siRNA and miRNA targets identified by sequencing of the Arabidopsis degradome. Curr Biol 18(10):758–762. doi: 10.1016/jcub200804042Arribas-Hernandez L, Kielpinski LJ, Brodersen P (2016) mRNA decay of most Arabidopsis miRNA targets requires slicer activity of AGO1. Plant Physiol 171(4):2620–2632. doi: 10.1104/pp.16.00231Cuperus JT, Carbonell A, Fahlgren N, Garcia-Ruiz H, Burke RT, Takeda A, Sullivan CM, Gilbert SD, Montgomery TA, Carrington JC (2010) Unique functionality of 22-nt miRNAs in triggering RDR6-dependent siRNA biogenesis from target transcripts in Arabidopsis. Nat Struct Mol Biol 17(8):997–1003. doi: 10.1038/nsmb1866Montgomery TA, Yoo SJ, Fahlgren N, Gilbert SD, Howell MD, Sullivan CM, Alexander A, Nguyen G, Allen E, Ahn JH, Carrington JC (2008) AGO1-miR173 complex initiates phased siRNA formation in plants. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(51):20055–20062. doi: 10.1073/pnas0810241105Allen E, Xie Z, Gustafson AM, Carrington JC (2005) microRNA-directed phasing during trans-acting siRNA biogenesis in plants. Cell 121(2):207–221. doi: 10.1016/jcell200504004Yoshikawa M, Peragine A, Park MY, Poethig RS (2005) A pathway for the biogenesis of trans-acting siRNAs in Arabidopsis. Genes Dev 19(18):2164–2175. doi: 10.1101/gad1352605Rajagopalan R, Vaucheret H, Trejo J, Bartel DP (2006) A diverse and evolutionarily fluid set of microRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana. Genes Dev 20(24):3407–3425. doi: 10.1101/gad1476406Arribas-Hernandez L, Marchais A, Poulsen C, Haase B, Hauptmann J, Benes V, Meister G, Brodersen P (2016) The slicer activity of ARGONAUTE1 Is required specifically for the phasing, not production, of trans-acting short interfering RNAs in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 28(7):1563–1580. doi: 10.1105/tpc1600121Brodersen P, Sakvarelidze-Achard L, Bruun-Rasmussen M, Dunoyer P, Yamamoto YY, Sieburth L, Voinnet O (2008) Widespread translational inhibition by plant miRNAs and siRNAs. Science 320(5880):1185–1190. doi: 10.1126/science1159151Li S, Le B, Ma X, Li S, You C, Yu Y, Zhang B, Liu L, Gao L, Shi T, Zhao Y, Mo B, Cao X, Chen X (2016) Biogenesis of phased siRNAs on membrane-bound polysomes in Arabidopsis. Elife 5:e22750. doi: 10.7554/eLife22750Zeng Y, Yi R, Cullen BR (2003) MicroRNAs and small interfering RNAs can inhibit mRNA expression by similar mechanisms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 100(17):9779–9784. doi: 10.1073/pnas1630797100Iwakawa HO, Tomari Y (2013) Molecular insights into microRNA-mediated translational repression in plants. Mol Cell 52(4):591–601. doi: 10.1016/jmolcel201310033Li S, Liu L, Zhuang X, Yu Y, Liu X, Cui X, Ji L, Pan Z, Cao X, Mo B, Zhang F, Raikhel N, Jiang L, Chen X (2013) MicroRNAs inhibit the translation of target mRNAs on the endoplasmic reticulum in Arabidopsis. Cell 153(3):562–574. doi: 10.1016/jcell201304005Li JF, Chung HS, Niu Y, Bush J, McCormack M, Sheen J (2013) Comprehensive protein-based artificial microRNA screens for effective gene silencing in plants. Plant Cell 25(5):1507–1522. doi: 10.1105/tpc113112235Liu MJ, SH W, JF W, Lin WD, YC W, Tsai TY, Tsai HL, SH W (2013) Translational landscape of photomorphogenic Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 25(10):3699–3710. doi: 10.1105/tpc113114769Aukerman MJ, Sakai H (2003) Regulation of flowering time and floral organ identity by a microRNA and its APETALA2-like target genes. Plant Cell 15(11):2730–2741. doi: 10.1105/tpc016238Chen X (2004) A microRNA as a translational repressor of APETALA2 in Arabidopsis flower development. Science 303(5666):2022–2025. doi: 10.1126/science1088060Gandikota M, Birkenbihl RP, Hohmann S, Cardon GH, Saedler H, Huijser P (2007) The miRNA156/157 recognition element in the 3′ UTR of the Arabidopsis SBP box gene SPL3 prevents early flowering by translational inhibition in seedlings. Plant J 49(4):683–693. doi: 10.1111/j1365-313X200602983xYang L, Wu G, Poethig RS (2012) Mutations in the GW-repeat protein SUO reveal a developmental function for microRNA-mediated translational repression in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 109(1):315–320. doi: 10.1073/pnas1114673109Mallory AC, Hinze A, Tucker MR, Bouche N, Gasciolli V, Elmayan T, Lauressergues D, Jauvion V, Vaucheret H, Laux T (2009) Redundant and specific roles of the ARGONAUTE proteins AGO1 and ZLL in development and small RNA-directed gene silencing. PLoS Genet 5(9):e1000646. doi: 10.1371/journalpgen1000646Hou CY, Lee WC, Chou HC, Chen AP, Chou SJ, Chen HM (2016) Global analysis of truncated RNA ends reveals new insights into ribosome stalling in plants. Plant Cell 28(10):2398–2416. doi: 10.1105/tpc1600295Rogers K, Chen X (2013) Biogenesis, turnover, and mode of action of plant microRNAs. Plant Cell 25(7):2383–2399. doi: 10.1105/tpc113113159Behm-Ansmant I, Rehwinkel J, Doerks T, Stark A, Bork P, Izaurralde E (2006) mRNA degradation by miRNAs and GW182 requires both CCR4:NOT deadenylase and DCP1:DCP2 decapping complexes. Genes Dev 20(14):1885–1898. doi: 10.1101/gad1424106Wu L, Fan J, Belasco JG (2006) MicroRNAs direct rapid deadenylation of mRNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(11):4034–4039. doi: 10.1073/pnas0510928103Schirle NT, MacRae IJ (2012) The crystal structure of human Argonaute2. Science 336(6084):1037–1040. doi: 10.1126/science1221551Pfaff J, Hennig J, Herzog F, Aebersold R, Sattler M, Niessing D, Meister G (2013) Structural features of Argonaute-GW182 protein interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110(40):E3770–E3779. doi: 10.1073/pnas1308510110Ma X, Kim EJ, Kook I, Ma F, Voshall A, Moriyama E, Cerutti H (2013) Small interfering RNA-mediated translation repression alters ribosome sensitivity to inhibition by cycloheximide in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Plant Cell 25(3):985–998. doi: 10.1105/tpc113109256Law JA, Jacobsen SE (2010) Establishing, maintaining and modifying DNA methylation patterns in plants and animals. Nat Rev Genet 11(3):204–220. doi: 10.1038/nrg2719Xie Z, Johansen LK, Gustafson AM, Kasschau KD, Lellis AD, Zilberman D, Jacobsen SE, Carrington JC (2004) Genetic and functional diversification of small RNA pathways in plants. PLoS Biol 2(5):E104. doi: 10.1371/journalpbio0020104Herr AJ, Jensen MB, Dalmay T, Baulcombe DC (2005) RNA polymerase IV directs silencing of endogenous DNA. Science 308(5718):118–120. doi: 10.1126/science1106910Kanno T, Huettel B, Mette MF, Aufsatz W, Jaligot E, Daxinger L, Kreil DP, Matzke M, Matzke AJ (2005) Atypical RNA polymerase subunits required for RNA-directed DNA methylation. Nat Genet 37(7):761–765. doi: 10.1038/ng1580Onodera Y, Haag JR, Ream T, Costa Nunes P, Pontes O, Pikaard CS (2005) Plant nuclear RNA polymerase IV mediates siRNA and DNA methylation-dependent heterochromatin formation. Cell 120(5):613–622. doi: 10.1016/jcell200502007Haag JR, Ream TS, Marasco M, Nicora CD, Norbeck AD, Pasa-Tolic L, Pikaard CS (2012) In vitro transcription activities of Pol IV, Pol V, and RDR2 reveal coupling of Pol IV and RDR2 for dsRNA synthesis in plant RNA silencing. Mol Cell 48(5):811–818. doi: 10.1016/jmolcel201209027Pontes O, Li CF, Costa Nunes P, Haag J, Ream T, Vitins A, Jacobsen SE, Pikaard CS (2006) The Arabidopsis chromatin-modifying nuclear siRNA pathway involves a nucleolar RNA processing center. Cell 126(1):79–92. doi: 10.1016/jcell200605031Li CF, Pontes O, El-Shami M, Henderson IR, Bernatavichute YV, Chan SW, Lagrange T, Pikaard CS, Jacobsen SE (2006) An ARGONAUTE4-containing nuclear processing center colocalized with Cajal bodies in Arabidopsis thaliana. Cell 126(1):93–106. doi: 10.1016/jcell200605032El-Shami M, Pontier D, Lahmy S, Braun L, Picart C, Vega D, Hakimi MA, Jacobsen SE, Cooke R, Lagrange T (2007) Reiterated WG/GW motifs form functionally and evolutionarily conserved ARGONAUTE-binding platforms in RNAi-related components. Genes Dev 21(20):2539–2544. doi: 10.1101/gad451207Li CF, Henderson IR, Song L, Fedoroff N, Lagrange T, Jacobsen SE (2008) Dynamic regulation of ARGONAUTE4 within multiple nuclear bodies in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS Genet 4(2):e27. doi: 10.1371/journalpgen0040027Bies-Etheve N, Pontier D, Lahmy S, Picart C, Vega D, Cooke R, Lagrange T (2009) RNA-directed DNA methylation requires an AGO4-interacting member of the SPT5 elongation factor family. EMBO Rep 10(6):649–654. doi: 10.1038/embor200931He XJ, Hsu YF, Zhu S, Wierzbicki AT, Pontes O, Pikaard CS, Liu HL, Wang CS, Jin H, Zhu JK (2009) An effector of RNA-directed DNA methylation in Arabidopsis is an ARGONAUTE 4- and RNA-binding protein. Cell 137(3):498–508. doi: 10.1016/jcell200904028Zhong X, Du J, Hale CJ, Gallego-Bartolome J, Feng S, Vashisht AA, Chory J, Wohlschlegel JA, Patel DJ, Jacobsen SE (2014) Molecular mechanism of action of plant DRM de novo DNA methyltransferases. Cell 157(5):1050–1060. doi: 10.1016/jcell201403056Cao X, Jacobsen SE (2002) Locus-specific control of asymmetric and CpNpG methylation by the DRM and CMT3 methyltransferase genes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 99(Suppl 4):16491–16498. doi: 10.1073/pnas162371599Lahmy S, Pontier D, Bies-Etheve N, Laudie M, Feng S, Jobet E, Hale CJ, Cooke R, Hakimi MA, Angelov D, Jacobsen SE, Lagrange T (2016) Evidence for ARGONAUTE4-DNA interactions in RNA-directed DNA methylation in plants. Genes Dev 30(23):2565–2570. doi: 10.1101/gad289553116Zheng X, Zhu J, Kapoor A, Zhu JK (2007) Role of Arabidopsis AGO6 in siRNA accumulation, DNA methylation and transcriptional gene silencing. EMBO J 26(6):1691–1701. doi: 10.1038/sjemboj7601603Havecker ER, Wallbridge LM, Hardcastle TJ, Bush MS, Kelly KA, Dunn RM, Schwach F, Doonan JH, Baulcombe DC (2010) The Arabidopsis RNA-directed DNA methylation Argonautes functionally diverge based on their expression and interaction with target loci. Plant Cell 22(2):321–334. doi: 10.1105/tpc109072199Eun C, Lorkovic ZJ, Naumann U, Long Q, Havecker ER, Simon SA, Meyers BC, Matzke AJ, Matzke M (2011) AGO6 functions in RNA-mediated transcriptional gene silencing in shoot and root meristems in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS One 6(10):e25730. doi: 10.1371/journalpone0025730Duan CG, Zhang H, Tang K, Zhu X, Qian W, Hou YJ, Wang B, Lang Z, Zhao Y, Wang X, Wang P, Zhou J, Liang G, Liu N, Wang C, Zhu JK (2015) Specific but interdependent functions for Arabidopsis AGO4 and AGO6 in RNA-directed DNA methylation. EMBO J 34(5):581–592. doi: 10.15252/embj201489453McCue AD, Panda K, Nuthikattu S, Choudury SG, Thomas EN, Slotkin RK (2015) ARGONAUTE 6 bridges transposable element mRNA-derived siRNAs to the establishment of DNA methylation. EMBO J 34(1):20–35. doi: 10.15252/embj201489499Zhang Z, Liu X, Guo X, Wang XJ, Zhang X (2016) Arabidopsis AGO3 predominantly recruits 24-nt small RNAs to regulate epigenetic silencing. Nat Plants 2(5):16049. doi: 10.1038/nplants201649Wu J, Yang Z, Wang Y, Zheng L, Ye R, Ji Y, Zhao S, Ji S, Liu R, Xu L, Zheng H, Zhou Y, Zhang X, Cao X, Xie L, Wu Z, Qi Y, Li Y (2015) Viral-inducible Argonaute18 confers broad-spectrum virus resistance in rice by sequestering a host microRNA. Elife 4:05733. doi: 10.7554/eLife05733Wu J, Yang R, Yang Z, Yao S, Zhao S, Wang Y, Li P, Song X, Jin L, Zhou T, Lan Y, Xie L, Zhou X, Chu C, Qi Y, Cao X, Li Y (2017) ROS accumulation and antiviral defence control by microRNA528 in rice. Nat Plants 3:16203. doi: 10.1038/nplants2016203Wei W, Ba Z, Gao M, Wu Y, Ma Y, Amiard S, White CI, Rendtlew Danielsen JM, Yang YG, Qi Y (2012) A role for small RNAs in DNA double-strand break repair. Cell 149(1):101–112. doi: 10.1016/jcell201203002Oliver C, Santos JL, Pradillo M (2014) On the role of some ARGONAUTE proteins in meiosis and DNA repair in Arabidopsis thaliana. Front Plant Sci 5:177. doi: 10.3389/fpls201400177Ye R, Chen Z, Lian B, Rowley MJ, Xia N, Chai J, Li Y, He XJ, Wierzbicki AT, Qi Y (2016) A Dicer-independent route for biogenesis of siRNAs that direct DNA methylation in Arabidopsis. Mol Cell 61(2):222–235. doi: 10.1016/jmolcel201511015Dolata J, Bajczyk M, Bielewicz D, Niedojadlo K, Niedojadlo J, Pietrykowska H, Walczak W, Szweykowska-Kulinska Z, Jarmolowski A (2016) Salt stress reveals a new role for ARGONAUTE1 in miRNA biogenesis at the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Plant Physiol 172(1):297–312. doi: 10.1104/pp1600830Singh RK, Gase K, Baldwin IT, Pandey SP (2015) Molecular evolution and diversification of the Argonaute family of proteins in plants. BMC Plant Biol 15(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s12870-014-0364-6Singh RK, Pandey SP (2015) Evolution of structural and functional diversification among plant Argonautes. Plant Signal Behav 10(10):e1069455. doi: 10.1080/1559232420151069455Bohmert K, Camus I, Bellini C, Bouchez D, Caboche M, Benning C (1998) AGO1 defines a novel locus of Arabidopsis controlling leaf development. EMBO J 17(1):170–180. doi: 10.1093/emboj/171170Kidner CA, Martienssen RA (2004) Spatially restricted microRNA directs leaf polarity through ARGONAUTE1. Nature 428(6978):81–84. doi: 10.1038/nature02366Sorin C, Bussell JD, Camus I, Ljung K, Kowalczyk M, Geiss G, McKhann H, Garcion C, Vaucheret H, Sandberg G, Bellini C (2005) Auxin and light control of adventitious rooting in Arabidopsis require ARGONAUTE1. Plant Cell 17(5):1343–1359. doi: 10.1105/tpc105031625Yang L, Huang W, Wang H, Cai R, Xu Y, Huang H (2006) Characterizations of a hypomorphic argonaute1 mutant reveal novel AGO1 functions in Arabidopsis lateral organ development. Plant Mol Biol 61(1-2):63–78. doi: 10.1007/s11103-005-5992-7Kidner CA, Martienssen RA (2005) The developmental role of microRNA in plants. Curr Opin Plant Biol 8(1):38–44. doi: 10.1016/jpbi200411008Wu L, Zhang Q, Zhou H, Ni F, Wu X, Qi Y (2009) Rice microRNA effector complexes and targets. Plant Cell 21(11):3421–3435. doi: 10.1105/tpc109070938Vaucheret H (2008) Plant ARGONAUTES. Trends Plant Sci 13(7):350–358. doi: 10.1016/jtplants200804007Hunter C, Sun H, Poethig RS (2003) The Arabidopsis heterochronic gene ZIPPY is an ARGONAUTE family member. Curr Biol 13(19):1734–1739Adenot X, Elmayan T, Lauressergues D, Boutet S, Bouche N, Gasciolli V, Vaucheret H (2006) DRB4-dependent TAS3 trans-acting siRNAs control leaf morphology through AGO7. Curr Biol 16(9):927–932. doi: 10.1016/jcub200603035Fahlgren N, Montgomery TA, Howell MD, Allen E, Dvorak SK, Alexander AL, Carrington JC (2006) Regulation of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR3 by TAS3 ta-siRNA affects developmental timing and patterning in Arabidopsis. Curr Biol 16(9):939–944. doi: 10.1016/jcub200603065Axtell MJ, Jan C, Rajagopalan R, Bartel DP (2006) A two-hit trigger for siRNA biogenesis in plants. Cell 127(3):565–577. doi: 10.1016/jcell200609032Hunter C, Willmann MR, Wu G, Yoshikawa M, de la Luz G-NM, Poethig SR (2006) Trans-acting siRNA-mediated repre