ROLE OF RIBOSWITCHES IN REGULATING METABOLISM IN ALGAE
Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) is the active form of vitamin B1. As well as being an important cofactor for primary metabolism, TPP also controls gene regulation through riboswitches in bacteria, fungi, plants and algae. Riboswitche...
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Información proyecto RIBOREGAL
Líder del proyecto
UNIVERSITE DE GENEVE
No se ha especificado una descripción o un objeto social para esta compañía.
TRL
4-5
Presupuesto del proyecto
173K€
Fecha límite de participación
Sin fecha límite de participación.
Descripción del proyecto
Thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP) is the active form of vitamin B1. As well as being an important cofactor for primary metabolism, TPP also controls gene regulation through riboswitches in bacteria, fungi, plants and algae. Riboswitches are evolutionarily conserved sequences in the mRNA to which a metabolite binds directly, thereby affecting expression of the protein. In the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, riboswitches have been found to control gene expression of two thiamine genes, THIC and THI4. To date, studies on riboswitches remain descriptive. Here we propose to investigate, for the first time, in vivo, the role of riboswitches in regulating biosynthetic pathways, using the thiamine pathway in C. reinhardtii. This will be achieved by analyzing the vitamin B1 metabolism of THIC mutants transformed with a functional THIC gene with or without its riboswitch. Additionally, TPP riboswitches will be introduced into yeast, which lacks riboswitches. Data will be used to build a mathematical model of thiamine metabolism with or without riboswitches. We also plan to look for new ‘TPP riboswitch-controlled genes’ by differential display proteomics. This will also give us the opportunity to create a promising molecular tool for the fine-tuning of gene expression. As a proof of concept, a TPP riboswitch will be fused to a reporter gene and transformed either into the nucleus or into the chloroplast of C. reinhardtii. This will allow us to manipulate gene expression and investigate gene function by adding vitamin B1 to the medium. The research project will bring new insight to our understanding of regulation of vitamin metabolism. This will facilitate our ability to manipulate vitamin levels in plants thereby improving their nutritional quality. Understanding vitamin and cofactor metabolism in algae is also essential for the production of third generation biofuels, which are highly dependent on vitamin metabolism.