Integrative Roles of miRNAs and circRNAs in Plant Antiviral Gene Regulation and Autophagy
Iksat N. Baikarayev Z. Shevchenko O. Zhanassova K. Bekturova A. Zhangazin S. Masalimov Z.
November 2025Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Plants
2025#14Issue 22
Agriculture is still at serious risk from viral infections, particularly in light of climate change and more intensive farming practices. Small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs), in particular microRNAs (miRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs), have emerged as crucial post-transcriptional regulators of plant antiviral defense in this setting. These molecules provide an essential RNA-based immunity layer by regulating hormones, autophagy, redox balance, immunological signaling, and programmed cell death. In this work, we examine the molecular processes through which circRNAs and miRNAs function during viral infection, focusing on how they affect autophagy and systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Through thorough searches of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, we combined findings from peer-reviewed experimental and transcriptomic studies. Our study covers important crops as well as model species (Arabidopsis thaliana, Nicotiana benthamiana), providing a thorough understanding of sRNA synthesis, target control, and antiviral signaling. By combining previously disparate data, this review provides a coherent framework for understanding how short RNAs affect plant immune responses to viral infections. We highlight key regulatory relationships that need further study and propose that these results can be used as a foundation for new RNA-based biotechnological approaches. By carefully altering RNA regulatory mechanisms, scientists can use this information to help them create more resistant crops.
autophagy , circRNA , immunity , microRNA , plant–virus interactions , programmed cell death
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Rustem Omarov Plant Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology and Microbiology, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana, 010008, Kazakhstan
Department of Virology, ESC «Institute of Biology and Medicine», Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine
Rustem Omarov Plant Biotechnology Laboratory
Department of Virology
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