Plant pigments are diverse natural molecules involved in numerous biological functions such as development, growth, and metabolism. As plants age, not only new organs will be formed, but also, they will acquire the necessary pigments in response to the environment and endogenous programming in order to achieve reproductive success. Among the endogenous cues, the small RNAs (sRNAs), an endogenous group of ubiquitous regulatory molecules, may regulate the pigments-associated biosynthetic pathways at posttranscriptional level. Although plant pigments and sRNAs have been comprehensively studied in several processes throughout the entire plant cycle in model and nonmodel species, connections among these central players must be revised. Studying these complex networks allow us not only to know the progress that has been made in this area, but also generate research questions to be explored in order to unravel novel mechanisms for improving plant yield; therefore, in this review we have summarized the emerging roles of sRNAs-regulated nodes in mediating plant pigmentation-associated biosynthetic pathways, focused on chlorophylls, flavonoids, carotenoids, and betalains. In addition, we discuss perspectives related to the manipulation of those genes associated with plant pigments for obtaining genetically improved plants.

中文翻译：

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描绘植物体：小 RNA 调控的色素生物合成途径


植物色素是多种天然分子，参与许多生物功能，如发育、生长和新陈代谢。随着植物年龄的增长，不仅会形成新的器官，而且它们会根据环境和内源性编程获得必要的色素，以实现繁殖成功。在内源性线索中，小 RNA （sRNA） 是一组内源性普遍存在的调节分子，可能在转录后水平调节与色素相关的生物合成途径。尽管植物色素和 sRNA 已经在模型和非模型物种的整个植物周期的多个过程中进行了全面研究，但必须修改这些核心参与者之间的联系。研究这些复杂的网络不仅可以让我们了解该领域已经取得的进展，还可以产生需要探索的研究问题，以揭示提高植物产量的新机制;因此，在这篇综述中，我们总结了 sRNAs 调节节点在介导植物色素沉着相关生物合成途径中的新兴作用，重点是叶绿素、类黄酮、类胡萝卜素和甜菜碱。此外，我们还讨论了与操纵与植物色素相关的基因以获得遗传改良植物相关的观点。