MicroRNA control of gene expression and development in plants.

控制基因的活性在生物技术中是基本的，从剖析基因的功能到在作物中引入所需的特征。最近发现了一类新的基因，它们能够控制许多基因的活动，通过这些基因，它们最终可以控制有机体的发育和功能。通过了解这些基因是如何运作的以及它们的影响程度，我们不仅将对多细胞生命所需的基因调控网络有更深入的了解，而且我们将如何开发出具有巨大生物技术应用的控制基因活动的方法。

Controlling a gene's activity is fundamental in biotechnology, from dissecting a gene's function to introducing desired traits in crop plants. Recently a new class of genes have been identified that are 'master-regulators' able to control the activity of many genes, and through this, they can ultimately control how an organism develops and functions. By understanding how these genes operate and the extent of their influence, not only will we gain greater insights into the gene regulatory networks required for multicellular life, but how we may develop methods of controlling gene activity that will have tremendous biotechnological applications.