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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Plant Extracellular Vesicles with Complex Molecular Cargo: A Cross-Kingdom Conduit for MicroRNA-Directed RNA Silencing
Genes, Vol.17(1), pp.1-46
2026
PMID: 41595472
Abstract
Plants secrete a heterogenous population of membrane-enclosed extracellular vesicles that harbour an incredible diversity of molecular cargo. It is the complexity of the molecular cargo encapsulated by plant extracellular vesicles (PEVs) which facilitates the fundamental role PEVs play in mediating communication and signalling. PEV molecular cargo is composed of a diverse mixture of lipids, metabolites, proteins, and nucleic acids. Among the nucleic acids, the microRNA (miRNA) class of small regulatory RNA can be viewed as one of the most biologically relevant. Plant miRNAs regulate the expression of genes essential for all aspects of development as well as to control the gene expression changes required to drive the adaptive and defensive responses of plants to environmental stress and pathogen attack. Furthermore, recent research has shown that specific miRNA cohorts are selectively packaged into PEVs as part of the molecular-level response of a plant to its growth environment. For example, PEVs are loaded with a specific miRNA population for their targeted delivery to sites of pathogen infection in the host plant, or for cross-kingdom delivery of host-plant-encoded miRNAs to the pathogen itself. Here we outline PEV physical properties, compare PEV biogenesis pathways, detail the composition of PEV molecular cargo, and go on to provide detailed commentary on the role of PEV-delivered miRNAs in plant development, environmental stress adaptation, and pathogen defence. We conclude this article with a proposal for the potential future use of PEVs and their miRNA cargo in agriculture and aquaculture.
Details
- Title
- Plant Extracellular Vesicles with Complex Molecular Cargo: A Cross-Kingdom Conduit for MicroRNA-Directed RNA Silencing
- Authors
- Ashmeeta Shalvina - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringNicholas A. Paul - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringScott F. Cummins - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringAndrew L. Eamens (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Biomedicine
- Publication details
- Genes, Vol.17(1), pp.1-46
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.3390/genes17010052
- ISSN
- 2073-4425
- PMID
- 41595472
- Copyright note
- © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
- Data Availability
- Further information on the reviewed topic can be sourced via contacting the corresponding author.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Biomedicine; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991198350902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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