Systemic gene silencing in Arabidopsis, and relevance to plant biology

基因沉默在动植物中是一个高度保守的过程。它在基因调控、病毒防御、基因组对环境的响应和基因组进化等方面具有重要意义。值得注意的是，当基因沉默在植物中被触发时，它可以传播到整个有机体。本项目的目的是确定植物中基因沉默的细胞间运动机制，以及它与植物生长和抵御病原体的相关性。预期的结果包括加深对植物细胞间遗传信号及其在植物生长和抗病中的作用的了解。这些发现也可能为动物基因沉默的机制提供新的线索。

Gene silencing is a highly conserved process in plants and animals. It is of fundamental importance to gene regulation, virus defence, genome response to environment, and genome evolution. Remarkably, when gene silencing is triggered in plants it can spread throughout the organism. The aim of this project is to define the mechanism of intercellular movement of gene silencing in plants, and its relevance to plant growth and defence against pathogens. Expected outcomes include increased understanding of intercellular genetic signalling in plants and its role in plant growth and disease resistance. The findings may also shed new light on mechanisms of gene silencing in animals.