From little things big things grow

Improving seed size, composition and vigour are at the heart of new CSIRO Plant Industry research looking at 'micro RNAs'.

RNA is a close cousin of DNA, but it is a single strand rather than DNA's well recognised double helix.

Micro RNAs are tiny pieces of RNA that can destroy specific messenger RNAs, which help to make proteins - the building blocks of life. Micro RNA regulation is important in controlling where and when many important proteins are made.

Dr Chris Helliwell and his team at CSIRO Plant Industry in Canberra are looking at micro RNAs in rice to work out their roles - particularly in relation to grain development.

By working with rice, the only cereal with a fully sequenced genome, it will be a small step to transfer the knowledge to other cereal crops to improve their grain quality.

The team will hunt for new micro RNAs, especially those only present in cereals, and determine whether these, and previously identified micro RNAs, are active when the rice grain is developing.

These new micro RNA regulated genes may have important roles in determining grain quality. By changing where the micro RNAs are made or making the target genes resistant to the micro RNAs, the team aim to generate useful new grain traits.

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