Native RNA targets of a plant-specific RNA binding protein that controls Arabidopsis development

基因编码在DNA中，但是当一个基因被打开（我们称之为表达）时，一个拷贝在一个相关的分子中产生，称为RNA。这个拷贝被称为信使（简称m）RNA，因为它以细胞可以读取并转化为蛋白质的形式携带基因的代码。随着植物的生长和发育，就像我们一样，它们精确地调节基因表达，以确保它们在正确的时间和地点制造正确的东西。mRNA的形成是这种调节可以发生的重要水平，并且由结合RNA的蛋白质控制。开花涉及植物的主要发育变化，并且这种变化发生的时间受到仔细控制。我们可以通过寻找在异常时间开花的突变体来确定这种控制所需的基因，我们经常在一种叫做拟南芥的简单杂草中这样做，因为它非常容易处理。一种被称为fpa（首字母不代表任何东西）的拟南芥突变体开花较晚，因为RNA结合蛋白不再起作用。这种特殊的RNA结合蛋白只存在于植物中。我们想研究这种不寻常的RNA结合蛋白，看看我们是否可以确定在RNA水平上调控基因表达的新方法。我们可以很容易地利用拟南芥的遗传学来解决这个问题，这对我们有很大的帮助。我们想做的一件事是找到方法来鉴定RNA结合蛋白在植物细胞内实际结合的RNA。植物和我们一样，有复杂的机制在RNA水平上控制基因表达，有时这种类型的工作可以告诉我们一些关于基因是如何在我们自己和植物中控制的新东西。

Genes are encoded in DNA, but when a gene is switched on (which we call expression), a copy is made in a related molecule, called RNA. This copy is known as messenger (m for short) RNA as it carries the code for the gene in a form that the cell can read and turn into a protein. As plants grow and develop, like us, they regulate gene expression precisely to make sure they make the right things at the right place and time. The formation of mRNA is an important level at which this regulation can take place and is controlled by proteins that bind RNA. Flowering involves a major developmental change in plants and the time at which this happens is carefully controlled. We can identify genes required for this control by looking for mutants that flower at an abnormal time and we often do this in a simple weed called Arabidopsis, as it is very easy to work with. One Arabidopsis mutant, called fpa (the initials don't stand for anything), flowers late because an RNA binding protein doesn't work anymore. This particular RNA binding protein is only found in plants. We want to study this unusual RNA binding protein to see if we can identify new ways that gene expression is regulated at the RNA level. The ease with which we can use genetics with Arabidopsis to work this out is a big help to us. One thing we want to do, is develop ways to identify which RNAs an RNA binding protein actually binds inside plant cells. Plants, like us, have complicated mechanisms for controlling gene expression at the RNA level and sometimes this type of work can tell us something new about how genes are controlled in ourselves as well as plants.