Small RNA-guided processes are central to eukaryotic development, antiviral defense and maintenance of genome integrity. These microRNAs were discovered as regulators of developmental timing in animals, and found to also regulate developmental timing in plants. Mutant plants affecting the plant juvenile-to-adult transition and the specification of leaf polarity have been particularly important for the discovery of RNA silencing components, include the ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins that bind small RNAs and control their regulatory effects. Most plants have at least ten AGO genes with specialized functions, small RNA binding preferences, and expression patterns. This project will use new genomic resources and tools, particularly automation and high-throughput sequencing, to clarify the roles of AGOs in broader gene regulatory networks controlling plant development. This research will elucidate the signals controlling AGO expression patterns, determine how and where AGO proteins interact with their targets, and measure how AGO-small RNA-target interactions lead to downstream transcriptional changes. The project will thus address fundamental questions surrounding gene regulation and provide insight into agriculturally important traits such as leaf architecture.
Broader Impacts The impact of this project will be broadened through educational outreach, development of human resources, and development of publicly available software tools and databases. The outreach component will be a continuation of the lab?s ongoing collaboration with the Danforth Center's Science Education and Outreach Director, Dr. Terry Woodford-Thomas, to develop a bioinformatics and RNA-seq module as part of the highly successful "Tech Trunk" Program. The Bioinformatics/RNA-Seq trunk will explore the technology and bioinformatics behind gene expression analysis and functional genomics. Two training workshops will be provided to high school teachers that participate in the Tech Trunk program. Additionally, the proposed research project will provide training and mentoring opportunities at the high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels, including for underrepresented groups. This will be accomplished in collaboration with the local Students and Teachers As Research Scientists (STARS) program in St. Louis, the NSF-funded Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program at the Danforth Center, and through regular Danforth Center workshops on career skills and responsible conduct of research. Lastly, all of the genome-scale datasets and analysis tools developed during this project will made easily accessible through a public web portal.
