TY - BOOK
T1 - Investigating the potential of microProteins and their impact on plant development
AU - Petri, Louise
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - This thesis presents a comprehensive study on microProteins and their impact on plant development, with the potential for engineering these regulators for biotechnological applications. The first chapter provides an extensive introduction to microProteins, elucidating their significance and scope. Particular attention is given to microProteins consisting of a single protein-protein interaction domain, as this class is the focus of the thesis. In the second chapter, a genetic screen aims to detect additional components of a floral repressive complex, including TPL, CO, and the microProtein miP1a. This screen identifies a mutant allele of the gene FIONA1 (FIO1). Through extensive investigation, FIO1 is characterized as a methyltransferase that stabilizes FLC transcripts by imposing m6A marks, unrelated to the complex initially investigated. The third chapter presents an in-depth investigation of the novel microProtein MIGHTY DWARF (MD) found in Solanum lycopersicum cv. MicroTom, which is alternatively transcribed from the gene WIMPY GIANT (WG). The interplay between these two protein isoforms is examined through a comprehensive phenotypic analysis of various mutant lines, including overexpression of the isoforms, revealing both antagonistic and synergistic effects on plant development. The final two chapters focus on the microProteins LITTLE ZIPPERs (ZPRs) in Arabidopsis thaliana, known to target the class III HOMEODOMAIN LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIPIII) transcription factors. We first investigate the rosette phenotypes of higher-order CRISPR mutants generated in this study and examine the expression patterns of the ZPR promoters. The complexity of the ZPR regulatory network is highlighted, indicating further redundancy beyond what is currently known. Secondly, we investigated, through a bioingeneering approach, the interaction between ZPR3 and one of its targets, REVOLUTA (REV). By introducing point mutations to ZPR3, it is verified through FRETFLIM that the interaction strength is altered to varying degrees. The continuous advancement in the understanding of microProteins, as demonstrated in this study, brings us closer to utilizing them for biotechnological purposes. Their regulatory effects, which can be fine-tuned as shown here, hold the potential to become instrumental tools in engineering crop plants for the future.
AB - This thesis presents a comprehensive study on microProteins and their impact on plant development, with the potential for engineering these regulators for biotechnological applications. The first chapter provides an extensive introduction to microProteins, elucidating their significance and scope. Particular attention is given to microProteins consisting of a single protein-protein interaction domain, as this class is the focus of the thesis. In the second chapter, a genetic screen aims to detect additional components of a floral repressive complex, including TPL, CO, and the microProtein miP1a. This screen identifies a mutant allele of the gene FIONA1 (FIO1). Through extensive investigation, FIO1 is characterized as a methyltransferase that stabilizes FLC transcripts by imposing m6A marks, unrelated to the complex initially investigated. The third chapter presents an in-depth investigation of the novel microProtein MIGHTY DWARF (MD) found in Solanum lycopersicum cv. MicroTom, which is alternatively transcribed from the gene WIMPY GIANT (WG). The interplay between these two protein isoforms is examined through a comprehensive phenotypic analysis of various mutant lines, including overexpression of the isoforms, revealing both antagonistic and synergistic effects on plant development. The final two chapters focus on the microProteins LITTLE ZIPPERs (ZPRs) in Arabidopsis thaliana, known to target the class III HOMEODOMAIN LEUCINE ZIPPER (HD-ZIPIII) transcription factors. We first investigate the rosette phenotypes of higher-order CRISPR mutants generated in this study and examine the expression patterns of the ZPR promoters. The complexity of the ZPR regulatory network is highlighted, indicating further redundancy beyond what is currently known. Secondly, we investigated, through a bioingeneering approach, the interaction between ZPR3 and one of its targets, REVOLUTA (REV). By introducing point mutations to ZPR3, it is verified through FRETFLIM that the interaction strength is altered to varying degrees. The continuous advancement in the understanding of microProteins, as demonstrated in this study, brings us closer to utilizing them for biotechnological purposes. Their regulatory effects, which can be fine-tuned as shown here, hold the potential to become instrumental tools in engineering crop plants for the future.
M3 - Ph.D. thesis
BT - Investigating the potential of microProteins and their impact on plant development
PB - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen
ER -