RNA silencing in green algae
RNA silencing is a complex and poorly understood aspect of biological systems whereby small RNA molecules can supress gene expression. C. reinhardtii is a single-celled alga that could be a useful model to help scientists better understand RNA silencing in plants. The EU-funded project 'Untangling the network of RNA silencing pathways in plants' (RNAI IN PLANTS) aimed to characterise various RNA silencing pathways in C. reinhardtii. In order to study these pathways, researchers had to develop a technique to introduce mutations into RNA-silencing genes. A successful method was established in the first year of the project. This method was applied to produce 22 C. reinhardtii mutants with defects in different genes involved in RNA silencing. These were classified into three groups based on which RNA molecules were still expressed. Another newly developed technique was used to identify the genes that were mutated. Several mutants had a mutated Ago3 gene (important for control of RNA silencing) while others had a mutated DCL3 enzyme (important for processing RNA transcripts). The information gathered during the project was used to map the mutations onto the C. reinhardtii genome. A major contribution of RNAI IN PLANTS is the establishment of a reliable method to study RNA silencing further in this model organism.
