Functional RNAs in Plants

Developing Climate-Resilient and Stress-Resistant Crops

Jen-Tsung Chen

• Publisher: Academic Press
• Year: 2025
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• eBook ISBN:
  9780443333422
• Subtopic: Botany
• Index: Biological Sciences

Functional RNAs in Plants explores the rapidly advancing field of plant RNA biology and its transformative role in modern agriculture. Covering microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, long noncoding RNAs, circular RNAs, and CRISPR-associated RNAs, the book explains their identification, design, structural and functional analysis, and applications in crop improvement.Chapters address both abiotic and biotic stresses, highlighting how functional RNAs regulate tolerance to climate-driven challenges as well as plant–microbe interactions and disease resistance. Technical sections detail progress in bioinformatics, integrated multi-omics, spatial and single-cell approaches, and high-throughput transcriptomics, which together provide new insights into RNA networks underlying plant stress responses. The book also discusses artificial small RNAs, secondary metabolism, and competing endogenous RNA systems, connecting mechanistic understanding with applied breeding strategies.Practical guidance is offered on integrating RNA knowledge into smart breeding, sustainable agriculture, and CRISPR-based innovations, with emphasis on designing and delivering functional guide RNAs for crop improvement. By combining foundational concepts with emerging applications, this volume serves as a valuable reference for academics, researchers, and advanced-level students in plant molecular biology and agricultural biotechnology. - Connects the biology of plant functional RNAs to breeding programs, helping translatediscoveries into resilient crop varieties - Brings together all major RNA types and CRISPR-associated RNAs in a single reference - Demonstrates how computational pipelines, multi-omics platforms, and structural analyses can be applied to functional RNA research, supporting reproducible and data-driven outcomes - Includes case studies and methods showing how RNA technologies support sustainable agriculture in real-world contexts

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Contributors
• CHAPTER 1 Overview of plant functional RNAs: Emerging roles in crop improvement and breeding in a changing climate
• CHAPTER 2 Technical advancements in exploring plant functional RNAs: Identification and functional analysis
• CHAPTER 3 Functional RNAs: Regulatory roles under abiotic stress and current applications in crop breeding
• CHAPTER 4 Functional RNAs: Current findings in plant–microbe interactions and plant disease control
• CHAPTER 5 Plant small RNAs: Research progress and applications in regulating plant stress responses
• CHAPTER 6 MicroRNAs: Promising targets for developing climate-resilient and abiotic stress-tolerant crops
• CHAPTER 7 Small interfering RNAs: Key regulators of plant growth under abiotic stresses
• CHAPTER 8 Small interfering RNAs: Potent silencing tools for plant protection
• CHAPTER 9 Long noncoding RNAs: Regulatory mechanisms and applications in crop breeding for adaptation to global climate change
• CHAPTER 10 Long noncoding RNAs: Involvement in plant–pathogen interactions and plant immunity
• CHAPTER 11 Circular RNAs: Emerging regulators of plant abiotic stress responses
• CHAPTER 12 Circular RNAs: Involvement in plant immunity responses against pathogens
• CHAPTER 13 Multiple omics approaches in plant functional RNAs against abiotic stress
• CHAPTER 14 Integrated bioinformatics tools for studying plant functional RNAs to regulate plant stress responses
• CHAPTER 15 High-throughput transcriptomics for uncovering the role of functional RNAs in mitigating plant stress responses
• CHAPTER 16 Functional RNAs in regulating plant secondary metabolisms involved in combating diverse biotic stresses
• CHAPTER 17 CRISPR and functional RNAs: Identification, functional analysis, and delivery for plant stress tolerance
• CHAPTER 18 Delivering epigenetic modulations by CRISPR-Cas9 technology: Recent applications for crop improvement
• CHAPTER 19 RNA interference for crop improvement and sustainable agriculture
• CHAPTER 20 Uncovering plant regulatory networks involving competing endogenous RNAs: Current achievements and prospects
• CHAPTER 21 Regulatory small RNAs in plant–biotic stress responses
• CHAPTER 22 Designed functional guide RNAs and genome-specific primers for point-of-care disease diagnosis for climate-resilient crop production
• CHAPTER 23 MicroRNA-mediated regulatory networks for nitrogen use efficiency and modulating nitrogen starvation response
• CHAPTER 24 A comparison between conserved and species-specific miRNAs as an approach to developing climate-resilient and abiotic stress-tolerant crops
• CHAPTER 25 Transfer RNA-derived fragments: A new frontier in plant stress adaptation
• CHAPTER 26 Utilization of lncRNAs to improve plant resistant to drought stress
• CHAPTER 27 Advances in RNAi for agricultural pest control
• Index