DISSERTATION RESEARCH: RNA-Seq analysis of nascent RNA to provide insights into the mechanisms behind genomic loss of introns.

论文研究：对新生 RNA 进行 RNA-Seq 分析，以深入了解基因组内含子丢失背后的机制。

• 批准号: 1309753
• 负责人: Katrien Devos
• 金额: $ 1.81万
• 依托单位: University of Georgia Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-05-01 至 2015-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1309753&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; RNA; Seq; analysis

Genes provide the genetic code for proteins which are the building blocks of cells and organisms. Most eukaryotic genes contain one or more non-coding regions, called introns. Introns are typically removed (spliced out) during the cellular processes that decode genes to build proteins. Some intron positions in genes have been retained in species as diverse as plants and animals, possibly because they are functionally important. Other introns have been lost from genes independently in different evolutionary lineages, and it may be that the intron loss provided some selective advantage to the organism. It is important to understand the mechanisms that lead to intron loss in plants. The proposed research aims to investigate whether introns that are spliced out more efficiently during cellular processes have a higher chance of ultimately being lost from the genome. Large-scale sequencing of RNA, which essentially provides a blue print of all genes that are expressed, during different stages of cellular processing, will yield information for each gene on the relative rate with which the introns are spliced out. Statistical analyses will be carried out to determine whether splicing rates are correlated with patterns of genomic intron loss. Some introns, either by their content, their size or their location can regulate gene expression and hence are functionally important. Genomic loss of introns may lead to altered expression, which may provide the plasticity needed for species to adapt to new environments. Knowledge of the mechanisms that lead to intron loss will help to understand species evolution.

基因为蛋白质提供遗传密码，蛋白质是细胞和生物体的基石。 大多数真核基因含有一个或多个非编码区，称为内含子。 内含子通常在解码基因以构建蛋白质的细胞过程中被移除（剪接）。 基因中的一些内含子位置在植物和动物等不同物种中被保留下来，可能是因为它们在功能上很重要。 在不同的进化谱系中，其他内含子已经从基因中独立地丢失，并且可能是内含子的丢失为生物体提供了一些选择优势。 了解导致植物内含子丢失的机制是非常重要的。 这项研究的目的是调查在细胞过程中更有效地剪接出来的内含子是否有更高的机会最终从基因组中丢失。 RNA的大规模测序基本上提供了在细胞加工的不同阶段表达的所有基因的蓝图，将产生关于内含子被剪接出的相对速率的每个基因的信息。 将进行统计分析以确定剪接率是否与基因组内含子丢失的模式相关。 一些内含子，无论是通过它们的内容，它们的大小或它们的位置可以调节基因表达，因此是功能上重要的。 基因组中内含子的丢失可能导致表达的改变，这可能提供物种适应新环境所需的可塑性。 了解导致内含子丢失的机制将有助于理解物种进化。