UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF SMALL RNAS IN ARABIDOPSIS POLLEN DEVELOPMENT

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中的一个 由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源。子项目和 研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金， 因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为 研究中心，而研究中心不一定是研究者所在的机构。 本研究的目的是鉴定拟南芥雄配子体在4个不同发育阶段表达的小分子RNA。 植物的有性生殖依赖于雄配子体和雌配子体的正常功能。花粉，雄配子体，负责产生两个精细胞，并将它们运送到卵子和胚囊中的两个中央细胞中。因此，了解高等植物雄配子体发育的分子机制对人类生活的许多方面，包括农业和保护都具有重要意义。 RNA沉默在维持基因组稳定、控制发育过程以及帮助宿主抵御外源DNA入侵等方面发挥着重要作用。在RNA沉默途径中，小RNA和相关蛋白质复合物通过切割信使RNA、抑制翻译或修饰染色质结构来沉默基因表达。虽然RNA沉默在许多植物发育过程中的作用已被揭示，但我们几乎不知道该途径如何调节雄配子体中的基因表达。 为了更好地了解RNA沉默在雄配子体发育中的作用，我们建议使用克隆策略来鉴定在雄配子体的四个不同发育阶段中表达的小RNA。 该项目将是研究参与花粉发育的小RNA的第一次尝试。这将为今后小分子RNA及其靶基因的功能研究提供有价值的信息。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The objective of the proposed research is to identify small RNAs expressed in four different developmental stages of Arabidopsis male gametophyte. Sexual reproduction in plants relies on the proper function of male and female gametophytes. Pollen, the male gametophyte, is responsible for producing two sperm cells and delivering them to fertilize the egg and two central cells in the embryo sac. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms in the male gametophyte development in higher plants is important for many aspects of human life including agriculture and conservation. RNA silencing plays important roles in maintaining genome stability, controlling developmental processes, and helping the host to defend against the invasion of exogenous DNAs. In the RNA silencing pathway, small RNAs and associated protein complexes silence gene expression by cleaving messenger RNA, suppressing translation or modifying chromatin structure. Although the function of RNA silencing has been revealed in many plant developmental processes, we have almost no knowledge on how this pathway regulates gene expression in the male gametophyte. To better understand the role of RNA silencing in male gametophyte development, we propose to identify small RNAs expressed in four different developmental stages of the male gametophyte using cloning strategy. This project will be the first attempt to study small RNAs involved in pollen development. It will generate valuable information to direct future functional study on small RNAs and their target genes.