Maternal control of Pol IV-dependent siRNAs in Arabidopsis endosperm

Small RNAs recently emerged as ubiquitous regulators of gene expression. However, the most abundant class of small RNAs in flowering plants is poorly understood. Known as Pol IV-dependent (p4-)siRNAs, these small RNAs are associated with transcriptional gene silencing, transposable elements and heterochromatin formation. Recent research demonstrates that they are initially expressed in the maternal gametophyte and uniparentally expressed from maternal chromosomes in developing endosperm. This unique expression pattern links p4-siRNAs to double fertilization, parental genome interactions and imprinted gene expression.