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The role of the ribosome in plant development

Reference	BBS/E/J/000CA363
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Robert Sablowski
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	John Innes Centre
Department	John Innes Centre Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	200,876
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2009
End date	31/03/2012
Duration	36 months

Abstract

Plant shoots are characterized by reiterative production of organs from an indeterminate shoot apical meristem. Early in development lateral organs, such as leaves, establish dorsoventral polarity. Outgrowth of the leaf lamina depends on signaling from the meristem as well as concerted interactions between adaxial (dorsal) and abaxial (ventral) domains of the leaf. We have found that mutations in a number of different ribosomal protein genes, designated PIGGYBACK, have specific requirements for leaf dorsoventral patterning and meristem function. We propose developmental phenotypes affected by mutations in pgy genes are due to changes in cellular ribosome function and that the ribosome can serve as a control point in expression of patterning genes. We propose several testable hypotheses for ribosome regulatory function. Firstly, ribosome target specificity may be mediated by interaction of the ribosome with extra-ribosomal proteins. Secondly, ribosomal proteins within a gene family may be distinct such that individual ribosomes are functionally distinct. Thirdly, specific sequence features of mRNA may determine sensitive to changes in ribosomes. We are useing biochemical and genetic approaches to address each of these possibilities. Through these studies we anticipate a greater understanding of ribosome function and translation as control points in plant development

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Not funded via Committee
Research Topics	Plant Science
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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