Construction of short tandem target mimic (STTM) to block the functions of plant and animal microRNAs

Small RNAs are widespread in plants and animals. They largely include microRNAs (miRNAs) and short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), and they play key roles in gene and chromatin regulations. Here we describe in detail the method for an effective construction of the recently developed short tandem target mimic (SUM) technology to block small RNA functions in plants and animals. SUM is a powerful technology complementing the previous target mimic (TM) in plants and the miRNA sponge, as well as the recently defined endogenous competing RNA (CeRNA) in animals. We expect SUM will not only be effective in blocking small RNA functions in plants but will also become a popular approach in animals. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.