Project description
Following mobile RNA molecules in plants and discovering their targets for gene silencing
Regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) are ubiquitous in plants. They play a critical role in the 'spread' throughout a plant of RNA interference (RNAi), a genetic regulatory system that acts to silence the activity of specific genes. Given the diversity of sRNAs and their targets, and combined with their mobility, it has been challenging to identify and fully characterise pairs of mobile sRNAs and their targets. The EU-funded GeminiDECODER project is using a novel probe to do so with unprecedented resolution – a protein in a plant virus that was recently shown to affect the cell-to-cell spread of RNAi. It promises to help scientists isolate mobile sRNAs and their targets under different conditions in different plants, with potential application in the regulation of crop productivity.
Objective
In plants, RNA interference (RNAi) is involved in processes ranging from development to stress responses. The core element of this regulatory mechanism, the small RNA (sRNA), has been characterized as a mobile molecule able to spread the RNAi beyond the initiation sites, acting as a cell non-autonomous process. Examples of mobile sRNAs are known: mobile small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) deriving from viruses spread throughout the plant, and are responsible for the activation of the viral silencing in uninfected tissues; other siRNAs, together with microRNAs (miRNAs), have been described to move through different cell layers, acting as morphogens; finally, some miRNAs have been shown to move through the vasculature under stress conditions, activating protective responses. Mobile sRNAs are therefore of capital importance for plant biology, and many approaches have been followed to analyze them; however, the number of mobile sRNA/target pairs fully characterized is scarce. Recently, the C4 protein from Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) has been shown to interfere specifically with the cell-to-cell movement of RNAi, affecting neither accumulation nor activity of the sRNAs. In this project, C4 will be used as a novel and powerful tool to isolate mobile sRNAs and their targets, under different conditions (basal vs viral infection) and in different plants (Arabidopsis and tomato), in a large scale and with unprecedented resolution. By using C4-expressing plants, out-of-location mobile sRNAs as well as increased levels of their unprocessed targets are expected to be easily detected. Thanks to this viral probe, a whole picture of the different populations of mobile sRNAs and their targets will be obtained, and the biological relevance of the most prominent candidates will be assessed. As a result, relevant new knowledge about the regulation of key biological processes in plants will be obtained, which may open new avenues for the design of more productive crops.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology virology
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries agriculture
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics RNA
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
29016 MALAGA
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.