The power of small: microRNAs modulating stomatal movement

Regulation of stomatal aperture is paramount in drought-stress responses. Recently, Yang et al. demonstrated how microRNA-plantacyanin (PCY) regulates stomata movement by revealing a novel mechanism responsive to abscisic acid (ABA) that controls reactive oxygen species (ROS) in guard cells. This sets a precedent for using miRNAs as a new target for stress-resistance genetic engineering.