The plant splicing code: regulatory components and functions in developmental processes

• Applicant: Professor Andreas Wachter, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Plant Genetics and Genomics
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 270472757

Alternative splicing (AS) generates messenger RNA (mRNA) variants from one type of precursor mRNA and thereby massively increases transcriptome diversity. Being widespread in plants, AS has been demonstrated to change in response to diverse signals and to be involved in critical physiological processes, such as circadian rhythms, flowering time control, and seed germination. Furthermore, first global regulators of AS have recently been identified in plants. Despite this important progress, the actual scope of AS in plant development and stress responses remains open and functioning of the splicing code, an interaction network of splicing factors and mRNA motifs, is unknown. Our previous work identified Polypyrimidine tract binding proteins (PTBs) from Arabidopsis thaliana as critical regulators of AS and revealed important links to different aspects of plant development and drought tolerance. In the project proposed here, cis-regulatory elements of PTB-mediated AS control will be defined and the interplay of PTBs with other splicing factors from the families of Serine/Arginine-rich (SR) proteins and heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) proteins will be characterized. Additionally, the role of PTBs in plant development and abiotic stress responses will be further elucidated, and the possible contribution of key AS events or concerted AS programs to these complex biological processes will be analyzed. This work aims at decoding critical components of the plant splicing code and at providing novel insights into the functional implications of this gene regulatory mechanism in the model system A. thaliana. Based on previous findings indicating the involvement of AS in fundamental developmental transitions and other agriculturally relevant traits such as drought tolerance, this work is also expected to lay the foundations for novel approaches in translational research in crop breeding and engineering.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants