Role of the SERRATE protein in regulation of miRNA biogenesis and transposable element silencing in Arabidopsis thaliana

SERRATE 蛋白在拟南芥中 miRNA 生物发生和转座元件沉默调控中的作用

• 批准号: 1716243
• 负责人: Xiuren Zhang
• 金额: $ 88万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M AgriLife Research
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-11-15 至 2022-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1716243&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Role; SERRATE; protein; regulation; miRNA

The goal of this research is to discover how a single plant protein, called SERRATE (SE), carries out two very different functions in the cell. One of SE's functions is to make small microRNAs (miRNAs) from larger RNA molecules, and the other function is to quiet the activity of certain potentially harmful DNA elements in the genome. The bi-functional nature of SE is thought to arise from its ability to interact with different protein partners, and this research aims to test that idea. Because SE is conserved in both plants and animals, the results could have far-reaching benefits for many fields of science and for society, such as in plant biotechnology where the results could contribute to improvement of agricultural traits. This project is well-suited for undergraduate student participation and provides hands-on training in genetics, genomics, and biochemistry. The project also offers opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to develop their professional careers at the forefront of an emerging field, and thus the research will contribute to building a creative and highly skilled workforce to support the steady growth of the U.S. economy. SE is known to be a core component of the miRNA processing machinery (microprocessor) in plants. The SE ortholog in mammals is known to function as a transcription factor. Preliminary evidence suggests that interaction of SE with a chromatin-remodeling factor is associated with its function in miRNA processing, whereas interaction with a histone methyltransferase may mediate its function in silencing transposable elements. Experimental aims will explore the mechanisms underlying these two functions. Results that implicate SE activity in miRNA biogenesis could provide new strategies to better regulate miRNA production and to improve the efficacy and safety of technologies and therapies that depend on small RNAs. Moreover, exploring the novel function of SE in regulating transposable elements will lead to new discoveries uniting the fields of RNA metabolism and transcriptional silencing, and may also provide new ideas about how to conquer disorders in plants and animals that result from the mis-regulation of chromatin-level gene silencing.

这项研究的目的是发现一种名为SERATE（SE）的植物蛋白如何在细胞中发挥两种截然不同的功能。SE的功能之一是从较大的RNA分子中制造小的microRNA（miRNAs），另一个功能是使基因组中某些潜在有害的DNA元件的活性安静下来。SE的双功能性质被认为是由于其与不同蛋白质伴侣相互作用的能力，这项研究旨在测试这一想法。 由于SE在植物和动物中都是保守的，因此其结果可能对许多科学领域和社会产生深远的影响，例如在植物生物技术中，其结果可能有助于改善农业性状。该项目非常适合本科生参与，并提供遗传学，基因组学和生物化学方面的实践培训。该项目还为研究生和博士后研究员提供了在新兴领域前沿发展职业生涯的机会，因此该研究将有助于建立一支具有创造力和高技能的劳动力队伍，以支持美国经济的稳定增长。已知SE是植物中miRNA加工机器（微处理器）的核心组件。已知哺乳动物中的SE直系同源物作为转录因子起作用。初步证据表明，SE与染色质重塑因子的相互作用与其在miRNA加工中的功能相关，而与组蛋白甲基转移酶的相互作用可能介导其在沉默转座因子中的功能。 实验目的将探索这两种功能的机制。在miRNA生物发生中涉及SE活性的结果可以提供新的策略，以更好地调节miRNA的产生，并提高依赖于小RNA的技术和疗法的有效性和安全性。此外，探索SE在调节转座因子中的新功能将导致RNA代谢和转录沉默领域的新发现，也可能为如何克服因染色质水平基因沉默的错误调节而导致的植物和动物疾病提供新的思路。

项目成果

Arabidopsis Serrate Coordinates Histone Methyltransferases ATXR5/6 and RNA Processing Factor RDR6 to Regulate Transposon Expression

• DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.05.023
• 发表时间: 2018-06-18
• 期刊: DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
• 影响因子: 11.8
• 作者: Ma, Zeyang;Castillo-Gonzalez, Claudia;Zhang, Xiuren
• 通讯作者: Zhang, Xiuren

SWI2/SNF2 ATPase CHR2 remodels pri-miRNAs via Serrate to impede miRNA production

• DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0135-x
• 发表时间: 2018-05-24
• 期刊: NATURE
• 影响因子: 64.8
• 作者: Wang, Zhiye;Ma, Zeyang;Zhang, Xiuren
• 通讯作者: Zhang, Xiuren

The epigenetic factor FVE orchestrates cytoplasmic SGS3-DRB4-DCL4 activities to promote transgene silencing in Arabidopsis.

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abf3898
• 发表时间: 2021-08
• 期刊: Science advances
• 影响因子: 13.6
• 作者: Sun D;Li Y;Ma Z;Yan X;Li N;Shang B;Hu X;Cui K;Koiwa H;Zhang X
• 通讯作者: Zhang X

Genome-wide probing RNA structure with the modified DMS-MaPseq in Arabidopsis

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2018.11.018
• 发表时间: 2019-02-15
• 期刊: METHODS
• 影响因子: 4.8
• 作者: Wang, Zhiye;Wang, Meiyue;Zhang, Xiuren
• 通讯作者: Zhang, Xiuren