Argonautes compete for miR165/166 to regulate shoot apical meristem development.

Plant stem cells in the shoot apical meristem (SAM) possess the unique abilities of both self-renewal for SAM maintenance and providing undifferentiated daughter cells for initiation and subsequent development of aerial organs. The coordination between stem cell renewal and cell differentiation during organogenesis is regulated by elaborate genetic pathways involving numerous transcription factors and other molecules. In the past decade, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as pivotal regulators in many biological processes including meristem homeostasis and differentiation in plants. In this review, we summarize current knowledge about the function and mechanism of a family of miRNAs (miR165/166), the miRNA-designated Argonautes (AGOs), and the miRNA-regulated targets in SAM development and maintenance.