精准的转录终止对遗传信息传递至关重要。相对转录起始和延伸，转录终止研究相对滞后。研究显示转录终止核心复合物CPSF及CSTF在动植物中较为保守，但植物也演化出一些特异的调控因子，它们功能的阐明对于理解植物转录终止是必须的。FCA、FPA及FY都是植物中很早即鉴定到的RNA结合蛋白，FCA和FPA 均具植物特异性而FY则在动植物中保守，它们同在一个遗传途径工作。虽然有证据显示它们参与对多个靶点的可变腺苷酸化调节，但它们在全基因组范围内如何具体调控转录终止，如何被招募以及如何整合到核心转录终止机器上，仍然是未知的。申请人前期工作中发现FCA可以结合到数千个基因的3’端及内含子上，且有证据显示它的招募和功能可能与RNA的剪接、化学修饰、降解及转录延伸等过程相关。据此申请人希望获得支持以FCA为切人点，深入研究它与FPA及FY共同调控的转录终止机制。这将为植物基因转录终止研究提供重要参考。

Precise and regulated termination is critical for the flow of genetic information. Termination is least understood compared with other processes of transcription. The key components of termination control such as CPSF and CSTF are relatively conserved between plants and animals. However, plant genome do harbour specific factors contribute to termination control and little is known regarding to the underlying molecular mechanism. FCA, FPA and FY are among the earliest identified RNA-binding proteins in plant that work in the same genetic pathway. Both FCA and FPA have plant-specific features while FY is conserved between Plants and Animals. Published results indicate all three play roles in regulating alternative polyadenylations of many genes. However, their exact roles in regulating transcriptional termination are yet to be identified. Our preliminary data indicate FCA could binds directly with RNA at 3’end and/or introns of thousands genes, indicating its broad role in termination control. Moreover, the RNA-binding as well as the function of FCA could relate to splicing, RNA modification, RNA decay and transcription elongation. We aim to clarify these unsettled issues by combining different approaches as proposed in this grant. We hope our work could set a paradigm for study of transcription termination in plant.