Identification and function of regulatory RNA in the phototrophic model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

• Antragstellerinnen / Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Wolfgang R. Hess; Professorin Dr. Annegret Wilde
• Fachliche Zuordnung: Mikrobielle Ökologie und Angewandte Mikrobiologie
• Förderung: Förderung von 2006 bis 2008
• Projektkennung: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 22770769

Recent data from pro- and eukaryotic organisms show the extremely high potential of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as sequence-specific regulators of gene expression, thereby mediating a plethora of cellular responses to changing environmental clues, and morphological differentiation. Here, we suggest to unravel the full set of ncRNAs in a comprehensive and systematical way by cloning and sequencing all small RNAs from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, paralleled by a computational prediction of ncRNA genes in intergenic regions. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is the genetically best studied and easiest to handle cyanobacterium. We therefore plan to use this information to develop this organism into a true model for the analysis of regulatory RNAs in cyanobacteria by targeted knock-out mutations of genes encoding the most promising ncRNA genes and proteins with key functions in the metabolism of RNA (RNase IM, RNase E, Hfq). We will put special emphasis on the functional analysis of one ncRNA, which we have identified in the course of prior work that has led to this proposal. This ncRNA is over its full length in antisense orientation to the coding region of isiA. Transcript levels for isiA increase sharply under iron limitation and redox stress and this ncRNA is involved in the control of this increase.

• DFG-Verfahren: Sachbeihilfen