ViPS Invited Seminar October 2020
Ildoo Hwang, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea

Date: 21st October 2020

Time: 13:00

Title: In vivo role of RNA G-quadruplex in plants

Location: Remotely via Zoom

Hosts: Ari-Pekka Mähönen & Ykä Helariutta

Abstract: RNA G-quadruplex structures are formed by G-rich sequences in vitro, and their high stability suggests their presence and biological functions in vivo. However, the existance of RNA G-quadruplex in living cells still remain questionable. Recently, we showed the evidence of RNA G-quadruplex formation in vivo. We found an evolutionally conserved regulatory module consisting of “an RNA binding protein’’ named JULGI and “G-quadruplex forming sequence located on SUPPRESSOR of MAX1-Like 5 (SMXL5) mRNA” for vascular development in plants. JULGI binds G-quadruplex forming sequence of SMXL5 mRNA and stabilizes the G-quadruplex structure and subsequently, inhibiting translation of SMXL5. JULGI also involves in target RNA decay. Taken together with in vivo profiling of RNA G-quadruplex, our results strongly indicate that JULGI and SMXL5 mRNA module presents biological function of G-quadruplex structures in vivo. We propose that plants evolutionally select G-quadruplex structure as important regulatory elements to regulate protein accumulation in plant growth and development.

Research in Ildoo Hwang's group is mainly in signal transduction of plant growth and development.

Read more about Ildoo Hwang's research