Vesicle-mediated RNA transfer: from factors and mechanisms to functions

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Patrick Schäfer, since 7/2023
• Subject Area: Plant Breeding and Plant Pathology
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 433194101

All cell types investigated so far release extracellular vesicles (EVs), establishing a new way of information transfer and cell-cell communication. Studying what macromolecules such as RNA and proteins are released, transferred, and taken up by target cells, what general mechanisms operate, and what biological functions can be modulated, has developed within the last decade to a fascinating new and emerging field, relevant to diverse biological systems. Most research progress has been achieved in mammalian cells so far, where many examples of relevance to human physiology and pathologies were discovered. Within this consortium “Plant-microbe communication through exRNA" (RU 5116) we plan to apply and transfer our longstanding expertise on mammalian noncoding RNAs, RNA-binding proteins, and EV biology to the plant system, with particular focus on interactions with fungal pathogens. Circular RNAs represent particularly promising and suitable candidates, both as endogenous signaling molecules as well as for engineering synthetic modulators of gene expression. Specifically, we will pursue the following general aims and address these open questions in our subproject B4: First, to identify molecular determinants of EV-mediated RNA release in mammalian cells: What do RNA-binding proteins contribute, and what is the role of cargo RNA size, configuration, and sequence elements?Second, to design and apply circular RNAs for gene silencing and plant-pathogen interference (in collaboration with A1 Kogel and A3 Koch); Third, to establish basic parameters and quality criteria of exRNA-mediated communication in plant-pathogen interactions, applying our expertise in the characterization and biochemical analysis of mammalian EVs and their RNA cargoes (in collaboration with all groups).

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 5116: “exRNA”: Plant-microbe communication through extracellular RNA
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Christian Preußer
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Professor Dr. Albrecht Bindereif, until 6/2023