Biogenesis and evolution of fungal telomerase RNA

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The telomerase enzyme is crucial for maintaining genome stability and cellular immortality. Elucidating novel telomerase biogenesis pathways and protein-RNA co-evolution in unexplored fungal groups will reveal fundamental principles of enzyme evolution in biology. Notably, the fungi included in this study are known pathogens of amphibians and food crops. This project will involve training of high school and undergraduate students from underrepresented minority groups. These students will have hands-on laboratory experiences that will motivate and encourage them to pursue careers in STEM disciplines. Moreover, the research experience will improve their applications and competitiveness for college and graduate school. Students will also participate in updating and improving our publicly accessible Telomerase Database, which serves as an effective means of disseminating hypothesis- and curiosity-driven research to the general public.Telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) composition and biogenesis pathways are extremely divergent among distinct groups of eukaryotes. The origins and evolutionary connections among telomerase RNAs (TR) from different groups of species remain unresolved. To understand the mechanism driving telomerase RNP diversity, telomerases from distinct representative taxa within eukaryotes need to be studied. This project will employ molecular biology and biochemical approaches for identifying TRs from key fungal species outside of the previously explored Ascomycota phylum. The newly identified TRs will offer novel, exciting models for telomerase RNP structure-function and biogenesis. Collectively, this project will provide crucial insights into the molecular evolution of fungal telomerase RNP structure-function and expand our knowledge of lncRNA (long noncoding RNA) biogenesis pathways.The project is funded jointly by the Genetic Mechanisms Cluster in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences and the Division of Biological Infrastructure in the Directorate for Biological Sciences.