Understand the functional mechanism of the DSP1 complex in the 3' end maturation of plant small nuclear RNAs

该项目将有助于与植物中的剪接和基因表达相关的基础知识。最终，这种类型的信息将促进农业生产植物的工程。 该项目的主要目标是剖析小核RNA的生物发生机制，这些小核RNA是剪接机制的核心组成部分，因此对基因表达很重要。 该项目将培训学生，并为他们提供为STEM行业和职业做出富有成效贡献所需的技能。 该项目还包括通过招募和培训代表性不足的群体和第一代学生的成员来增加STEM的多样性。 小核RNA（snRNA）是剪接体的基本组成部分。它们引导剪接体的形成并催化mRNA的剪接，这是解码储存在基因组中的遗传信息的关键步骤，因此它们在调节基因表达中起着至关重要的作用。因此，snRNA生物合成是生物学的基础。snRNA 3'末端成熟需要在snRNA的初级转录物的3'末端处切割，这对于snRNA生物发生是必需的。 snRNA 3'成熟在后生动物、真菌和植物中的进化是不同的。在植物中参与snRNA 3'末端加工的蛋白质因子是未知的。因此，控制植物snRNA 3'成熟的机制尚不清楚。该项目的目标是更好地了解植物snRNA 3'成熟。 最近在拟南芥中鉴定了snRNA 3'成熟所需的DSP 1复合物。本项目将通过测试以下假设来剖析DSP 1复合物的功能机制：1）DSP 1复合物作为复合物来处理pre-snRNA; 2）DSP 1复合物需要pre-snRNA内的顺式元件来进行其募集和活性; 3）DSP 1复合物具有snRNA之外的其他靶标，这些靶标对发育很重要。该项目的完成将使人们深入了解snRNA 3'成熟机制，这是植物生物学中一个长期存在的问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project will contribute to fundamental knowledge related to splicing and gene expression in plants. Ultimately, this type of information will facilitate the engineering of plants for agricultural production. The primary goal of this project is to dissect the mechanism governing the biogenesis of small nuclear RNAs, which are core components of the splicing machinery and hence important for gene expression. This project will train students and provide them with skills needed to productively contribute to STEM industries and occupations. This project also includes an effort to increase diversity in STEM by recruiting and training members of underrepresented groups and first generation students. Small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) are the basal components of the spliceosome. They guide the formation of spliceosome and catalyze the splicing of mRNAs, which is a key step in decoding genetic information stored in the genome and thus they play a crucial role in regulating gene expression. Consequently, snRNA biogenesis is fundamental to biology. snRNA 3' end maturation, which requires cleavage at the 3' end of the primary transcript of snRNAs, is essential for snRNA biogenesis. snRNA 3' maturation evolved differently among metazoans, fungi and plants. The protein factors involved in snRNA 3' end processing were unknown in plants. Consequently, the mechanism governing plant snRNA 3' maturation is not clear. The goal of this project is to better understand plant snRNA 3' maturation. The DSP1 complex required for snRNA 3' maturation was recently identified in Arabidopsis. This project will dissect the functional mechanism of the DSP1 complex through testing the following hypotheses: 1) The DSP1 complex functions as complex to process pre-snRNAs; 2) The DSP1 complex requires cis-elements within pre-snRNAs for its recruitment and activity; 3) The DSP1 complex has other targets beyond snRNAs, which are important for development. The completion of this project will provide insight into snRNA 3' maturation mechanism, a long-standing question in plant biology.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.