Drosha and Dicer process precursors to miRNAs. Processing of the transcribed pri-miRNA precursor by Drosha begins in the nucleus, generating a hairpin-shaped pre-miRNA that is exported to the cytoplasm. Dicer, as part of the larger RISC complex, continues the processing in the cytoplasm to generate a short double-stranded miRNA. One strand of the RNA is delivered to the target mRNA by the RISC-miRNA complex, leading to translational repression of the targeted mRNA. In plants, the targeted mRNA is often cleaved and degraded.