Dr. Mayfield proposes to identify the components and molecular mechanism of translational activation of the chloroplast psbA mRNA. Genetic and biochemical analysis will be used in these studies which will be carried out in the green algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The general aims of Dr. Mayfield's laboratory are to study the interactions of the nuclear and organelle genomes in coordinate gene expression. The general objectives of this project are to identify the components and mechanisms which are used to regulate the translation of specific chloroplastic mRNAs in a light dependent manner. Dr. Mayfield's laboratory has isolated and characterized a set of proteins that bind specifically to the 5' untranslated region of the chloroplastic psbA mRNA. Genetic and biochemical analysis suggests that these proteins act in translational activation of the psbA mRNA. The molecular and genetic analysis of translational regulation in C. reinhardtii will help understand the basic principles in nuclear/organelle interaction in coordinate gene expression, and provide insight from a unique perspective into fundamental aspects of a translational regulation of gene expression. The specific goals are divided into two areas: the first is the genetic characterization of components required for psbA translation. Nuclear genes required for psbA translation will be isolated and characterized. And the RNA elements required for translational activation of psbA mRNA will be characterized. The second area is the biochemical characterization of psbA RNA binding and initiation complex formation. The proposed experiments include the characterization of the biochemical events that lead to activation of psbA RNA binding activity in response to light, and the characterization of the molecular mechanism of translational activation resulting from mRNA/protein interaction

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
3R01GM054659-04S1
Application #
6413342
Study Section
Biological Sciences 2 (BIOL)
Program Officer
Rhoades, Marcus M
Project Start
1997-05-01
Project End
2001-11-30
Budget Start
2001-05-01
Budget End
2001-11-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$91,196
Indirect Cost
Name
Scripps Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
La Jolla
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
92037
Coragliotti, Anna T; Beligni, Maria Veronica; Franklin, Scott E et al. (2011) Molecular factors affecting the accumulation of recombinant proteins in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast. Mol Biotechnol 48:60-75
Rasala, Beth A; Muto, Machiko; Lee, Philip A et al. (2010) Production of therapeutic proteins in algae, analysis of expression of seven human proteins in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Plant Biotechnol J 8:719-33
Hannon, Michael; Gimpel, Javier; Tran, Miller et al. (2010) Biofuels from algae: challenges and potential. Biofuels 1:763-784
Beligni, Maria Veronica; Mayfield, Stephen P (2008) Arabidopsis thaliana mutants reveal a role for CSP41a and CSP41b, two ribosome-associated endonucleases, in chloroplast ribosomal RNA metabolism. Plant Mol Biol 67:389-401
Mayfield, Stephen P; Manuell, Andrea L; Chen, Stephen et al. (2007) Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplasts as protein factories. Curr Opin Biotechnol 18:126-33
Manuell, Andrea L; Beligni, Maria Veronica; Elder, John H et al. (2007) Robust expression of a bioactive mammalian protein in Chlamydomonas chloroplast. Plant Biotechnol J 5:402-12
Manuell, Andrea L; Quispe, Joel; Mayfield, Stephen P (2007) Structure of the chloroplast ribosome: novel domains for translation regulation. PLoS Biol 5:e209
Barnes, Dwight; Franklin, Scott; Schultz, Jason et al. (2005) Contribution of 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions of plastid mRNAs to the expression of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii chloroplast genes. Mol Genet Genomics 274:625-36
Somanchi, Aravind; Barnes, Dwight; Mayfield, Stephen P (2005) A nuclear gene of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Tba1, encodes a putative oxidoreductase required for translation of the chloroplast psbA mRNA. Plant J 42:341-52
Manuell, Andrea L; Yamaguchi, Kenichi; Haynes, Paul A et al. (2005) Composition and structure of the 80S ribosome from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: 80S ribosomes are conserved in plants and animals. J Mol Biol 351:266-79

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