A portable RNA-editing machine

许多植物都有一台精密的RNA编辑机，可以通过专门编辑受影响基因的RNA转录本来纠正细胞器基因组中积累的错误。这种分子机器的便携式和适应性版本将具有重大的生物技术价值，提供纠正遗传错误的能力，并在不永久改变基因组的情况下干预基因调控。该项目旨在结合分子和结构生物学方法来充分描述机器的组件，从而使我们能够在无细胞系统中重建它，并最终在其他生物体中重建它。

Many plants maintain an elaborate RNA-editing machine that allows them to correct accumulated errors in their organellar genomes by specifically editing the RNA transcripts of the affected genes. A portable and adaptable version of this molecular machine would have significant biotechnological value, providing the ability to correct genetic errors, and to intervene in gene regulation without permanently altering a genome. The project aims to combine molecular and structural biology approaches to fully characterise the components of the machine, thus allowing us to reconstitute it in cell-free systems and ultimately in other organisms.