Regulation of pre-mRNA splicing by the circadian system

植物的生存取决于它们对环境挑战的预测和适当反应的能力，如光、温度的变化，以及遇到害虫和病原体。对这些挑战做出反应的时机和幅度的一个关键调节因素是植物的生物钟。在许多作物的驯化过程中，农民已经选择了这种内部计时器组件的有利变体；随着我们使现有作物物种适应不断变化的气候，进一步选择时钟组件将是重要的。为了加快这方面的工作，需要更好地了解植物生物钟的性质以及它如何与基本的细胞过程相互作用。该奖项支持的项目将调查植物生物钟和RNA加工之间的关系，为这些高度保守和必要的过程提供有价值的见解。此外，该项目将帮助培养新一代科学家，吸引高中生和本科生以及研究生和博士后学者。一个重要的组成部分将是一年级大学生的研究性课程；这类课程已被证明可以提高学生对科学的坚持性，并增强他们对概念的理解和技能的发展。这个项目的总体目标是了解昼夜节律系统和RNA生成和处理途径是如何相互作用的。拟南芥中约三分之一的转录本的丰度受昼夜节律振荡器的调节。然而，转录的昼夜调控、RNA的加工和细胞核的RNA输出对这些节律的各自贡献还没有被研究。此外，这些过程对正常昼夜节律功能的相对影响仍在澄清中。这个项目将使用基因组、遗传学、生物化学和建模方法来研究前mRNA处理和昼夜节律系统之间的联系，剪接动力学在昼夜节律中的作用，以及XCT和PRP19之间的功能关系，这两个因子在真核生物中高度保守，在RNA处理和昼夜节律功能中都发挥着重要作用。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The survival of plants depends upon their ability to anticipate and respond appropriately to environmental challenges such as changes in light, temperature, and encounters with pests and pathogens. A key regulator of the timing and magnitude of responses to such challenges is the plant circadian clock. Advantageous variants of components of this internal timekeeper have been selected by farmers during the domestication of many crops; further selection of clock components will be important as we adapt existing crop species to a changing climate. A better understanding of the nature of the plant circadian clock and how it interacts with fundamental cellular processes is required to expedite such efforts. The project supported by this award will investigate the relationship between the plant circadian clock and RNA processing, providing valuable insights into both these highly conserved and essential processes. In addition, the project will help train a new generation of scientists, engaging high school and undergraduate students as well as graduate students and post-doctoral scholars. An important component will be a research-based course for first-year college students; such courses have been shown to increase persistence of students in science and enhance their understanding of concepts and development of skills.The overall objective of this project is to understand how the circadian system and RNA generation and processing pathways interact with each other. The abundance of approximately one-third of transcripts in Arabidopsis thaliana are regulated by the circadian oscillator. However, the respective contributions of circadian control of transcription, RNA processing, and RNA export from the nucleus on these rhythms have not been investigated. Moreover, the relative influence of these processes on normal circadian function is still being clarified. This project will use genomic, genetic, biochemical, and modeling methods to investigate the connections between pre-mRNA processing and the circadian system, the role of splicing kinetics in the circadian clock, and the functional relationship between XCT and PRP19, two factors highly conserved across eukaryotes that play important roles in both RNA processing and circadian clock function.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.