The role of small RNAs in physiology and virulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens

小调控RNA(SRNAs)在生命各个领域的基因调控中发挥着重要作用。我们的目标是鉴定和鉴定植物病原体根癌农杆菌的sRNA，根癌农杆菌是一种天然的基因工程，它将自己的部分基因组转移到植物中，重新编程它们的新陈代谢，导致肿瘤的形成。生物计算和深度测序相结合的方法在根癌农杆菌中发现了数百个sRNA。将对选定候选人的结构和功能进行详细研究。为了揭示基本的内务功能，将优先考虑两种策略识别的一组重叠的sRNA。特别令人感兴趣的是来自诱发肿瘤的钛质粒的根癌农杆菌sRNAs。在毒力条件下，至少有一个sRNA被大量诱导。将讨论其结构、靶基因(S)及其在毒力中的作用。MicroRNAs(MiRNAs)可能是从细菌传递到植物的T-DNA中表达的。通过计算预测的miRNA前体在农杆菌和植物中的表达将受到监测。将尝试通过深度测序的方法来鉴定寄主植物中的miRNAs。

Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) play an important role in gene regulation in all domains of life. We aim at the identification and characterization of sRNAs from the plant-pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, a natural genetic engineer that transfers part of its own genome into plants to re-program their metabolism resulting in tumor formation. A combined bio-computational and deep sequencing approach revealed several hundred sRNAs in A. tumefaciens. The structure and function of selected candidates will be studied in detail. To reveal fundamental housekeeping functions, preference will be given to an overlapping set of sRNAs that were identified by both strategies. Of particular interest are A. tumefaciens sRNAs from the tumor-inducing Ti plasmid. At least one sRNA is massively induced under virulence conditions. Its structure, target gene(s) and role in virulence will be addressed. microRNAs (miRNAs) might be expressed from the T-DNA that is delivered from the bacterium to the plant. The expression of computationally predicted miRNA precursors will be monitored in Agrobacterium and in planta. Identification of miRNAs in the host plant will be attempted by a deep sequencing approach.