Control of Storage Protein Biosynthesis by mRNA Targeting

Washington State University, Pullman WA

Investigators

Abstract

Plant seeds are used as a source of food and as a feedstock for the production of bioenergy. As the world population is projected to surpass 9 billion people by 2050, more food will have to be produced than ever before. Although considerable effort has been directed at understanding how seed genes are regulated in the nucleus during seed development, very little is known about the cellular events that control the expression of their RNAs in the cytoplasm. Previous efforts from this laboratory have demonstrated that seed RNAs are not immediately translated into protein when they exit the nucleus. Instead, they form large particles which are transported along several different pathways to the cortical region, a site located underneath the plasma membrane and highly conducive for protein synthesis. In this project, an integrated molecular, genetic and cell imaging approach will be undertaken to elucidate three broad areas of RNA transport and localization. They are (1) to identify the RNA species, which are localized by one of the transport pathways, (2) to identify and characterize how specific RNA binding proteins interact to recognize their target RNAs and direct them to a specific RNA transport pathway, and (3) to determine the role of membrane-associated proteins in RNA transport. This study will provide new insights in how RNAs and, in turn, proteins are localized and accumulated in plant cells. Moreover, it may lead to new insights into the mechanisms that control the utilization of carbon and nitrogen and their conversion into storage reserves and, thereby, aid in efforts to increase seed quality and crop productivity. The project will train young scientists at the postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate levels, will provide these younger scientists the opportunity for international research, and will strengthen an ongoing international collaborative study to increase seed production for food and energy.