María Rosa Ponce Molet Group

Research summary

THE GROUP’S SUMMARY IS MISSING. 

Research lines

Line 1: Functional analysis of the microRNA pathway in Arabidopis thaliana

One of the mechanisms of eukaryotic gene expression regulation is post-transcriptional, mediated by small interfering RNAs, which include microRNAs (miRNAs). To negatively regulate their targets, these small RNAs are incorporated into silencing complexes, in which a protein of the ARGONAUTE (AGO) family plays a central role in both animals and plants. In Arabidopsis, AGO1 is the main component of miRNA-mediated silencing complexes.  The study of this type of regulation has great biotechnological potential, since its manipulation allows the selective silencing of any endogenous or viral gene. We are studying the functions and interactions of Arabidopsis AGO1 and other components of the miRNA-mediated silencing pathway by means of different genetic and molecular approaches. 

Line 2: Control of ribosome biogenesis in Arabidopsis

The ribosome is a high conserved molecular machine that originated 3 to 4 billion years ago, and whose synthesis is the most energy-demanding process in any prokaryotic or eukaryotic cell. It catalyzes the translation of mRNAs into proteins in a process universal to all life forms. The intricate pathways that produce 80S cytoplasmic ribosomes demand most of cell energy and resources in any organism, so it is under strict genetic controls to get a proper stoichiometry of all its components, four rRNAs and about 80 ribosomal proteins. Most of knowledge about the biogenesis of the cytoplasmic 80S ribosome comes from studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the eukaryotic organism in which this process has been addressed in greater depth. In fact, virtually all of ribosome biogenesis factors (more than 250) have been functionally characterized in yeast. However, this is not the situation in other organisms, including animals and plants where ribosome biogenesis has been more poorly studied. Our main goal is to contribute to clarify the mechanisms of control of ribosome biogenesis in Arabidopsis, identifying ribosomal factors that could control and coordinate the synthesis of the components of the ribosome.