CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Gene expression in eukaryotes is a complex process with many layers of regulation. Traditionally the focus was on the transcriptional regulation mainly on initiation, however, RNA processing steps are key determinants of gene expression that should be taken into account. The relative plasticity in these mechanisms allows to generate different transcripts from a single gene by processes like alternative splicing. Actually, this is one of the main sources of proteomic diversity. The relevance of this mechanism was underestimated in plants but it is now in constant growth thanks to a greater attention on this system and the advance of sequencing techniques. Light modulates about 20% of Arabidopsis thaliana transcriptome, since alternative splicing is a booster of transcriptome diversity, we decided to explore how this environmental cue adjusts this process to ensure proper plant responses. The seed is vital in a plant´s life cycle, it allows the embryo to postpone its emergence and the development of the future plant until favorable conditions are set. Even though we recognize the relevance of seed germination, the knowledge about gene expression regulation during seed development and germination is very poor. Hence, we decided to transfer our experience in different plants tissues aiming to comprehend the mechanisms underlying gene expression regulation in A. thaliana seeds, with particular emphasis in the regulation and role of alternative splicing during seed maturation and germination. We plan to identify the involvement and possible interactions between different light signal transduction pathways, like retrograde signals and photoreceptor related cascades, in the regulation of gene expression during seed maturation and germination induced by light.