Thesis supervisor: Károly Fátyol
Location of studies (in Hungarian): Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Hungarian University of Life Sciences and Agriculture, Gödöllő Abbreviation of location of studies: MATE
Description of the research topic:
The prototype member of the Argonaute (AGO) protein family, AGO1 has been isolated more than 20 years ago in a screen aimed at identifying novel genetic loci that affect leaf development in Arabidopsis thaliana. Since then, AGO proteins have been found in numerous organisms from all kingdoms of life. The majority of AGOs possess endoribonuclease activity guided by 20-30 nt long RNA molecules. Their functions are highly diverse, ranging from the regulation of gene expression to the protection of genome integrity. In plants, AGO proteins are also crucial components of pathogen-specific defense responses. Of these, antiviral RNA silencing is the most thoroughly characterized, thanks mainly to the extensive genetic resources of A. thaliana. The Australian native tobacco species, Nicotiana benthamiana, due to its unparalleled susceptibility to a variety of viruses, also contributed greatly to the understanding of antiviral RNAi. Since it belongs to the Solanaceae family, N. benthamiana is also considered an adequate model system for the studying of infectious diseases of such highly valuable crops as tomato, potato, pepper and tobacco. Nonetheless, it’s adoption as a genuine model species has been hampered by the allotetraploid nature of its genome. The advent of genome editing however, has opened up avenues to overcome these limitations. Work in our laboratory aims at the better understanding of the processes of RNA silencing in N. benthamiana, mainly focusing on the roles of AGO proteins. Our results may help devise more effective plant protection measures and also contribute to the improvement of N. benthamiana as a manufacturing platform for the production of protein-based biologics.
Required language skills: English Further requirements: "- interest in doing research in molecular biology
- MSc degree: biologist, chemist, bioengineer
Advantage:
- laboratory experience
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Number of students who can be accepted: 1
Deadline for application: 2023-05-31
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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