Principal Investigator:

Prof. Dr. Alexis Maizel
Center for Organismal Studies (COS)
University of Heidelberg
Im Neuenheimer Feld 230
69120 Heidelberg
+49 6221 54 64 56
alexis.maizelspam prevention@cos.uni-heidelberg.de
 

Summary:

When AGO1 is loaded with an asymmetric miRNA/miRNA* duplex or by AGO7 loaded with the sym-metric miR390/miR390* duplex, secondary siRNA are produced upon microRNA-mediated cleavage of TAS precursors. How specifically AGO proteins contribute to this biogenesis, is poorly understood. We make the hypothesis that the evolutionary conserved miR390/AGO7 complex mimics a state that AGO1 only adopts when loaded by an asymmetric duplex and use this to unravel the mechanism of secondary siRNA biogenesis. Interaction screens with cell-free systems to elucidate the mechanisms underlying this unique function of AGO7 in secondary siRNA biogenesis will be combined.
Molekulare Spezifität von ARGONAUTE in der Biogenese von ta-siRNAs