Plant Small RNA Biotechnology

In plants, small RNA (sRNA)-directed gene silencing pathways control key biological processes such as development, chromatin remodelling, stress responses and antiviral defense. ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins interact with other proteins, load sRNAs, and target and silence specific RNAs through sequence-specific interactions conferred by their guide sRNA. AGOs can be programmed with highly-specific, computationally-designed artificial sRNAs (art-sRNAs) such as artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) or synthetic tasiRNAs (syn-tasiRNAs) to silence the desired gene(s) in gene function studies or for crop improvement. In our group we seek to develop both new basic knowledge and biotechnological tools for crop improvement while addressing major gaps in the plant sRNA silencing field.