[Seminars] PSB event reminder

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Calendar Name: seminars
Scheduled for: Monday, July 2 2012, 11:00 - 12:30
Event text:    Dr Javier Palatnik
	       
	       IBR 
	       (Instituto de Biologia Molecuar y Celular de Rosario)
	       
	       Rosario
	       ARGENTINA
Details:       “microRNA biogenesis and function in plants”
	       
	       ABSTRACT
	       MicroRNAs are small RNAs of ~21 nt that recognize
	       partially complementary sites in target mRNAs and guide
	       them to cleavage or translational arrest. The microRNAs
	       are distinguished from other small RNAs by their unique
	       biogenesis, which involves a precise excision from the
	       stem of a fold-back precursor located in a long primary
	       transcript. The type III ribonuclease DICER-LIKE1 (DCL1)
	       with the aid of the accessory proteins cleaves the
	       precursors to release the microRNAs. However, plant
	       microRNA precursors come in variable sizes and shapes,
	       and we are interested in understanding how these
	       different precursors can be processed to generate the
	       mature microRNAs. 
	       We have found that many precursors are processed in a
	       base-to-loop direction, while others are processed by a
	       non-canonical loop-to-base mechanism. We use a
	       combination of approaches to study microRNA processing,
	       including the analysis of libraries of random mutant
	       precursors and the identification of processing
	       intermediates with the aid of next generation sequencing
	       techniques.
	       In plants, many of the evolutionary conserved miRNAs
	       regulate transcription factors, which in turn play key
	       biological functions. Perturbation of these miRNA
	       regulatory networks, by mutations in microRNA encoding
	       genes or by interference with their activity usually
	       causes severe developmental defects. We are interested
	       in identifying the targets of plant microRNAs, as well
	       as their biological functions. The lab specifically
	       focuses in the control of cell proliferation and
	       differentiation by two microRNAs, miR396 and miR319.
	       
	       Related Publications:
	       Bologna, N.G., Mateos, J., Bresso, E.G., and Palatnik,
	       J.F.. (2009) A loop-to-base processing mechanism
	       underlies the biogenesis of plant microRNAs miR319 and
	       miR159. EMBO J, 28:3646-56.
	       Mateos, J., Bologna, N.G., Chorostecki, U., and
	       Palatnik, J.F. (2010) Identification of Structural
	       Determinants for MicroRNA Processing in Plants by Random
	       Mutagenesis of MIR172a Precursor. Current Biology,
	       20:49-54.
	       Rodriguez, R., Mecchia, M., Debernardi, J.M., Schommer,
	       C., Weigel, D., and Palatnik, J.F. (2010) Control of
	       cell proliferation by microRNA miR396. Development,
	       137:103-12.
	       Debernardi, J.M., Rodriguez, R.E., Mecchia, M., and
	       Palatnik, J.F. (2012) Functional specialization of the
	       plant miR396 regulatory network through distinct
	       microRNA-target interactions, PLoS Genetics, 8:
	       e1002419.
	       Chorostecki, U., Crosa, V.C., Lodeyro, A.F., Bologna,
	       N.G., Martin, A.P., Carrillo, C., Schommer, C. and
	       Palatnik, J.F. (2012) Identification of new
	       microRNA-regulated genes by conserved targeting in plant
	       species, in press.

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