Amir Ghaffar Shahriari - Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Higher Education Center of Eghlid, Eghlid, Iran
Aminallah Tahmasebi - Plant Virology Research Center, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20-24 nucleotide small RNAs which are processed from nuclear-encoded transcripts.miRNAs control the expression of target transcripts by cleaving or translational inhibition of the target RNAs.Artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) are modified endogenous miRNA precursors in which the miRNA: miRNA duplexis replaced with sequences to silence a target gene. amiRNAs are used as new transformation techniques in eukaryotesand have been proven to be more effective in specificity and stability than other RNA-mediated gene silencingmethods. amiRNA-based antiviral defense is an effective and new approach to engineer resistance to plant viruses.Here, we summarize the role of miRNAs in resistance to plant viruses.

amiRNA, Gene silencing, miRNA, Plant viruses, Resistance