An invisible switch for rice fertility: How phasiRNAs shape pollen development? Crossmark 143 62

Authors

  • Sayanti Mandal * Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Engineering & Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4054-833X
  • Loveness John Kimaro Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Engineering & Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India Author https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7286-5323
  • Sohini Jash JMS School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, United Kingdom Author
* Corresponding author: sayanti.mandal@sharda.ac.in

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66835/psh.2026.e0009

Keywords:

phasiRNA, OsAGO2, Male fertility, CRISPR, Rice, Reproduction, ARF

Abstract

Small RNAs are essential for regulating gene expression, with specialized types playing key roles in reproduction. Shao et al. (2026) discovered that novel 5'-A 21-nt phasiRNA, OsphasiR1_1, acts as an OsAGO2-dependent switch for rice male fertility by cleaving OsARF7 transcripts. Loss of this module causes OsARF7 overexpression, disrupting pollen development. This discovery reveals specialized phasiRNA pathways beyond canonical AGO5 functions, opening new avenues for climate-resilient hybrid breeding.

References

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Published

2026-07-17

Data Availability Statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are not publicly available. All relevant information is included within the manuscript.

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Spotlight

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Sayanti Mandal, Loveness John Kimaro, Sohini Jash (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Mandal, S., Kimaro, L. J., & Jash, S. (2026). An invisible switch for rice fertility: How phasiRNAs shape pollen development?. Plant Science Horizons, 1(2), e0009. https://doi.org/10.66835/psh.2026.e0009

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