GeminiDECODER · Isolation and characterization of mobile sRNA/target pairs in plants by using a viral protein as a probe
„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“
- Период
- 2020-06-01 → 2023-06-30
- Финансиране от ЕС
- 237 065 €
- Участници
- 2
- Схема
- MSCA-IF
Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.
Накратко на български
Мобилните малки РНК при растенията се проучват чрез използване на вирусни протеини, за да се открие кои точно молекули се пренасят между клетките. Това помага да се разбере как растенията регулират растежа си и се защитават от болести.
Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.
Резултати накратко
Isolation and characterization of mobile sRNA/target pairs in plants by using a viral protein as a probe
Regulation of gene expression is key in living organisms, allowing responses to both internal and external stimuli, modulating growth, development or defence responses against attacking pathogens. By controlling gene expression, the living organism alters accumulation of specific proteins in the cell, promoting some functions while inhibiting others, in such a way that balance (homeostasis) is kept away from potential disturbances. Since the expression of one protein from one gene relies on one RNA molecule acting as intermediary, targeting this intermediate RNA for degradation constitutes a major way by which gene expression can be achieved in a very sophisticated and specific way: this mechanism is the so-called RNA silencing (RNAi). In the RNAi, a small RNA (sRNA) acts as the core element of this mechanism, targeting for degradation another complementary molecule of RNA (the “intermediary” RNA). In plants, these sRNAs have been characterized as mobile molecules able to spread the RNAi cell to cell, beyond the initiation sites, so acting as a cell non-autonomous process. Despite their capital importance for plant biology, the number of mobile sRNA/target RNA pairs fully characterized is scarce, because of their elusive nature and the low sensitivity of traditional approaches followed so far. The overall aim of this research project has been the isolation and biological characterization of mobile sRNAs and their potential target RNAs, following a completely new approach based on the use of viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs) as probes. -Conclusions of the action: One viral protein, the C4 protein from tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), has been characterized as the most suitable probe for the isolation of mobile sRNAs, in a massive way and with improved resolution. By doing so, new mobile sRNA species are now available for biological characterization, and genetic elements responsible for regulating their movement have been exposed. These findings open the possibility of increasing crop resilience and production just through the exploitation of the plant endogenous regulatory mechanisms.
Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз
Цел на проекта
In plants, RNA interference (RNAi) is involved in processes ranging from development to stress responses. The core element of this regulatory mechanism, the small RNA (sRNA), has been characterized as a mobile molecule able to spread the RNAi beyond the initiation sites, acting as a cell non-autonomous process. Examples of mobile sRNAs are known: mobile small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) deriving from viruses spread throughout the plant, and are responsible for the activation of the viral silencing in uninfected tissues; other siRNAs, together with microRNAs (miRNAs), have been described to move through different cell layers, acting as morphogens; finally, some miRNAs have been shown to move through the vasculature under stress conditions, activating protective responses. Mobile sRNAs are therefore of capital importance for plant biology, and many approaches have been followed to analyze them; however, the number of mobile sRNA/target pairs fully characterized is scarce. Recently, the C4 protein from Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) has been shown to interfere specifically with the cell-to-cell movement of RNAi, affecting neither accumulation nor activity of the sRNAs. In this project, C4 will be used as a novel and powerful tool to isolate mobile sRNAs and their targets, under different conditions (basal vs viral infection) and in different plants (Arabidopsis and tomato), in a large scale and with unprecedented resolution. By using C4-expressing plants, out-of-location mobile sRNAs as well as increased levels of their unprocessed targets are expected to be easily detected. Thanks to this viral probe, a whole picture of the different populations of mobile sRNAs and their targets will be obtained, and the biological relevance of the most prominent candidates will be assessed. As a result, relevant new knowledge about the regulation of key biological processes in plants will be obtained, which may open new avenues for the design of more productive crops.
Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).
Участници
Връзки
Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз