CAREER: Characterization of Plant RNase P and Examination of its Utility as a Functional Genomics Tool

核糖核酸酶P（RNase P）是一种广泛存在的、参与tRNA生物合成的必需核糖核蛋白（RNP）。 细菌RNase P由催化RNA亚基和蛋白辅因子组成。 虽然大多数古细菌和所有真核生物的RNA酶P的RNA亚基含有几个关键的和保守的二级结构元件，存在于它们的细菌对应物中，但它们在缺乏其多个蛋白质亚基的情况下在体外没有催化活性，其数量根据来源从4到10不等。 由于RNA和蛋白质亚基都是所有生物体内功能所必需的，因此RNase P可以作为理解蛋白质如何调节RNA功能的范例。此外，在生命的三个领域中，亚基的功能分配和组成的变化提供了一个独特的机会来评估RNase P是否代表了一种早期RNA酶，它通过进化阶段发展为RNA-蛋白酶，其中蛋白质已经篡夺了最初由RNA执行的大部分功能。 蛋白质也可以被募集以促进RNase P表达的亚细胞靶向和时空控制。 在这方面的任何见解都将为挑衅性的RNA世界假说提供一些辩护。本研究的长期目标是使用植物RNase P作为模型系统，用于了解真核RNase P在多细胞生物中的复杂亚基组成，并利用这些知识来利用植物RNase P靶向降解内源性mRNA，这将有助于发现基因功能关系的应用。这个项目将有助于建立一个学术合作网络，并加强一个批地机构的研究基础设施。在生物化学，植物分子生物学和生物技术方面促进学习和推进发现的双重目标将继续通过创新地整合本科生，研究生和博士后学者的最先进的多维研究培训和教育来实现。

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a ubiquitous and essential ribonucleoprotein (RNP) involved in tRNA biogenesis. Bacterial RNase P consists of a catalytic RNA subunit and a protein cofactor. While the RNA subunits of most archaeal and all eukaryal RNase P contain several of the critical and conserved secondary structural elements present in their bacterial counterpart, they are not catalytically active in vitro in the absence of their multiple protein subunits, whose number varies from four to ten depending on the source. Since both the RNA and protein subunits are essential for function in vivo in all organisms, RNase P serves as a paradigm for understanding how proteins modulate RNA function. Moreover, the variations in the functional assignment and composition of subunits in the three domains of life provide a unique opportunity to evaluate if RNase P represents an early RNA enzyme progressing through evolutionary stages to an RNA-protein enzyme in which proteins have usurped most of the functions originally carried out by the RNA. Proteins could have also been recruited to facilitate subcellular targeting and spatio-temporal control of RNase P expression. Any insight in this regard would provide some vindication of the provocative RNA world hypothesis. The long-term goal of this research is to use plant RNase P as a model system for understanding the complex subunit make-up of eukaryal RNase P in a multi-cellular organism and also employ this knowledge to exploit plant RNase P for targeted degradation of endogenous mRNAs, an application that would facilitate discovery of gene-function relationships. This project will help build a network of academic collaborations and strengthen the infrastructure for research at a land grant institution. The dual aims of fostering learning and advancing discovery in biochemistry, plant molecular biology and biotechnology will continue to be accomplished by innovatively integrating state of the art multi-dimensional research training and education for undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral scholars.