TransEpiSeed: The role of mRNA methylation in control of seed germination

Project Information

TransEpiSeed

Grant agreement ID: 897843

DOI

10.3030/897843

Project closed

EC signature date 24 March 2020

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 31 December 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 207 312,00

EU contribution

€ 207 312,00

Coordinated by

KOBENHAVNS UNIVERSITET
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TransEpiSeed (TransEpiSeed: The role of mRNA methylation in control of seed germination)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The project is aiming at revealing the molecular mechanism behind RNA methylation in the control of seed germination. Seed germination is essential for modern agriculture represented by mechanic sowing, which has high demands on homogenous germination with high seed vigor. The results from the current project will provide fundamental support in agricultural practice and plant breeding. The overall objectives are 1) Investigate methylation patterns for the ribosome-associated mRNA in seeds. 2) Conduct genome-wide profiling of m6A in mRNA at single nucleic acid resolution during seed germination.3) Examine the physiological role of carefully selected m6A “reader” protein in seeds. 4) Characterization of the molecular function of the m6A “reader” proteins.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Work performed from project includes but not limited to plant molecular biology, plant genetics, plant genomics, bioinformitics etc. The main results include 1) Phenotypic and genomic screening the funtion of m6A reader proteins for their role in seed germination. 2) Identify the key m6A reader ECT2 and its mRNA targets during seed germination. 3) Expression analysis of ECT234 downstream genes. The project has been presented in several meeting and conference. The data generated from current result will be published in peer-reviewed journal and could be further explored for understanding the regulation of RNA methylation in seeds.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The results from the current project provide an overview of the role of m6A reader protein family played in seeds. The large impact of the TE234 axis on seed quality such as seed dormancy, longevity and stress tolerance. Due to the conservation of ECT family proteins, the result can be further explored in crops for breading better quality seeds under the background of global warming.

ECT2 reader protein expression in germinated seed as indicated by red fluorescence