Collaborative Research: SG: The evolution of transposable element silencing mechanisms in the absence of transposable elements

合作研究：SG：转座元件缺失情况下转座元件沉默机制的演变

• 批准号: 1354147
• 负责人: Federico Hoffmann
• 金额: $ 9.38万
• 依托单位: Mississippi State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-04-15 至 2017-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1354147&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; SG; evolution; transposable

Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences with the ability to move and make copies in a genome through -cut and paste- or -copy and paste- mechanisms. TEs are major components of vertebrate genomes, and account for at least 45% of the human genome. Because the unrestricted proliferation of TEs can have profound, and mostly deleterious, biological effects, the question of how organisms control TE mobilization has attracted high interest. Experimental data suggest that TEs and a recently discovered class of small non-coding RNAs called piRNAs, are involved in an evolutionary arms race, similar to that of pathogens and the immune system. Briefly, piRNAs direct proteins against TE derived messenger RNAs. However, the details of the interplay between piRNAs and TEs are far from clear. The research objective of this project is to characterize piRNA repertoires in the ground squirrel, which lacks ongoing TE activity, by contrasting them with mouse which have ongoing TE activity.Understanding how genomes protect themselves from the challenges presented by TE invasion is a fundamental question in evolutionary genomics. This project represents a step in that direction. TEs have the ability to change genes and their expression, and as such they can have profound biological effects. In addition, the piRNA pathway has enormous potential for applications in biotechology and medicine. If the investigators are able to direct this pathway, they should be able to target deleterious gene variants, such as those involved in cancer, and this project will contribute towards this long term objective. In addition, this project will permit the training of young researchers in bioinformatics.

转座因子（TE）是能够通过剪切和粘贴或复制和粘贴机制在基因组中移动和复制的DNA序列。TE是脊椎动物基因组的主要组成部分，占人类基因组的至少45%。由于TE的不受限制的增殖可能具有深远的，并且大多是有害的生物学效应，因此生物体如何控制TE动员的问题引起了人们的高度兴趣。实验数据表明，TE和最近发现的一类称为piRNA的小非编码RNA参与了进化军备竞赛，类似于病原体和免疫系统。简言之，piRNA引导蛋白质对抗TE衍生的信使RNA。然而，piRNA和TE之间相互作用的细节还远不清楚。该项目的研究目标是通过对比具有持续TE活动的小鼠和缺乏持续TE活动的地松鼠来表征皮尔纳库。了解基因组如何保护自己免受TE入侵带来的挑战是进化基因组学的基本问题。这个项目是朝这个方向迈出的一步。TE具有改变基因及其表达的能力，因此它们可以产生深远的生物学效应。 此外，皮尔纳途径在生物技术和医学中具有巨大的应用潜力。 如果研究人员能够指导这一途径，他们应该能够针对有害基因变体，例如与癌症相关的基因变体，而该项目将有助于实现这一长期目标。此外，该项目还将允许对年轻研究人员进行生物信息学方面的培训。