{ "abstract": "MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non‐coding RNA molecules essential for growth and development in eukaryotes. In plants, the master gene DICER‐LIKE 1 (DCL1) catalyzes the biogenesis of miRNAs by processing double‐stranded precursors that give rise to mature miRNAs. We sought to understand the function and evolution of microRNAs using Marchantia polymorpha, a model bryophyte that allows comparative approaches to infer characteristics of the ancestral land plant.\n\nWe functionally characterized loss‐of‐function mutants of MpDCL1 a generated by means of CRISPR‐Cas9‐mediated genomic edition and the miR166/CLASS III HD‐ZIP regulatory circuit in Marchantia polymorpha.\n\nWe report that MpDCL1a is required for the biogenesis of miRNAs and uncovered a central role for miR166/Homeodomain Zipper Class III‐regulated auxin synthesis in the specification of cell identity, patterning, meristem function, laminar expansion, and the development of the body in the last common ancestor of the bryophytes and vascular plants.\n\nOur findings indicate that DCL1, Class III HD‐ZIP, miR166, and auxin functioned in the development of the body of the last common ancestor of extant land plants and provide a novel working framework to interrogate the basic principles of cell specification and patterning in plants.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Instituto de Biotecnología y Ecología Aplicada (INBIOTECA), Universidad Veracruzana Avenida de las Culturas Veracruzanas 101, Col. Emiliano Zapata C.P. 91090 Xalapa Veracruz México", "School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Vic. 3800 Australia", "ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture Monash University Melbourne Vic. 3800 Australia", "Department of Botany and Plant Science University of California Riverside CA 92521 USA", "State Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Modulation Research, School of Life Sciences, Peking‐Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 China", "Beijing Advanced Center of RNA Biology (BEACON), School of Life Sciences Peking University Beijing 100871 China", "Department of Entomology University of Maryland College Park MD 20742 USA", "Department of Biotechnology Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana‐Iztapalapa Av. Ferrocarril San Rafael Atlixco 186, Col. Leyes de Reforma 1A Sección, Iztapalapa, CDMX Mexico City 09310 Mexico", "The School of Plant Sciences The University of Arizona Tucson AZ 85721 USA", "Graduate School of Science and Engineering Ehime University Matsuyama 790‐8577 Japan", "Graduate School of Science Kobe University Hyogo 657‐8501 Japan", "Department of Biology University of Oxford Oxford OX1 3EL UK", "Gregor Mendel Institute Dr. Bohr‐Gasse, 3 Vienna 1030 Austria", "Institut de Recherche pour le Développement 911 Avenue Agropolis 34394 Montpellier France", "Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Downing St. Cambridge CB2 3EA UK" ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 18, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Adolfo Aguilar‐Cruz", "orcid": "0000-0002-6709-3091" }, { "affs": [ 1, 2 ], "name": "Eduardo Flores‐Sandoval" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Ye Xu" }, { "affs": [ 4, 5 ], "name": "Yu Yu" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Ximena Gutiérrez‐Ramos", "orcid": "0000-0002-7136-371X" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Cristian Y. González‐Rangel", "orcid": "0009-0001-5837-7260" }, { "affs": [ 0, 7 ], "name": "Omar Oltehua‐López", "orcid": "0000-0002-6014-5629" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Ana E. Dorantes‐Acosta", "orcid": "0000-0003-0611-8758" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Joshua T. Trujillo", "orcid": "0000-0001-9817-4161" }, { "affs": [ 9 ], "name": "Hirotaka Kato" }, { "affs": [ 10 ], "name": "Kimitsune Ishizaki", "orcid": "0000-0003-0504-8196" }, { "affs": [ 7, 11 ], "name": "Rebecca A. Mosher", "orcid": "0000-0003-2195-0825" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Liam Dolan", "orcid": "0000-0003-1206-7096" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Xuemei Chen", "orcid": "0000-0002-5209-1157" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Daniel Grimanelli" }, { "affs": [ 14 ], "name": "Jim Haseloff", "orcid": "0000-0003-4793-8058" }, { "affs": [ 1, 2 ], "name": "John L. Bowman", "orcid": "0000-0001-7347-3691" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Mario A. Arteaga‐Vazquez", "orcid": "0000-0002-9435-0049" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3rz0w6wrvth9b.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1111/nph.71487", "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13738684/", "id": "3rz0w6wrvth9b", "issns": [ "0028-646X", "1469-8137" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71487", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Full Paper" ], [ "heading", "Research" ], [ "openalex", "1110|Plant Molecular Biology Research" ] ], "openalex": "W7202048674", "pdf_url": null, "pmcid": "PMC13738684", "pmid": "42572113", "published": "2026-08-09", "publisher": null, "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3rz0w6wrvth9b.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-09T12:23:38Z", "native_id": "PMC13738684", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71487" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "openalex:1110|Plant Molecular Biology Research", "subfield": "plant-biology" } ], "title": "microRNA‐mediated control of cell fate specification and patterning in Marchantia polymorpha", "title_text": "microRNA‐mediated control of cell fate specification and patterning in Marchantia polymorpha", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-09T12:23:38Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3rz0w6wrvth9b", "venue": "The New Phytologist", "versions": [] }