Stress Responsive Non-protein Coding RNAs

Environmental or growth conditions are constantly influencing the development and maturation of organisms. To ensure precise control of gene expression under these normal as well as stress conditions, organisms developed very accurate molecular regulatory mechanisms at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Key roles of small noncoding RNAs (miRNAs and siRNAs) in regulation of gene expression are no longer astonishing us nor are constantly emerging new classes of non-protein coding RNAs (tRNA-derived small RNAs, snoRNA-derived small RNAs, mRNA-derived small RNAs, and long non-coding RNAs). Although there is evidence of involvement of those various classes of noncoding RNAs in response to stress conditions, in most cases, we are still lacking basic information on their targets and interplay between different regulatory pathways. In this review, we focus on “canonical” and “noncanonical” noncoding RNAs and their involvement in abiotic stress responses

Public perception of plant gene technologies worldwide in the light of food security

Achieving global food security is becoming increasingly challenging and many stakeholders around the world are searching for new ways to reach this demanding goal. Here we demonstrate examples of genetically modified and genome edited plants introduced to the market in different world regions. Transgenic crops are regulated based on the characteristics of the product in many countries including the United States and Canada, while the European Union, India, China and others regulate process-based i.e. on how the product was made. We also present the public perception of state-of-the-art plant gene technologies in different regions of the world in the past 20 years. The results of literature analysis show that the public in Europe and North America is more familiar with the notion of genome editing and genetically modified organisms than the public in other world regions

Public perception of plant gene technologies worldwide in the light of food security

Achieving global food security is becoming increasingly challenging and many stakeholders around the world are searching for new ways to reach this demanding goal. Here we demonstrate examples of genetically modified and genome edited plants introduced to the market in different world regions. Transgenic crops are regulated based on the characteristics of the product in many countries including the United States and Canada, while the European Union, India, China, and others regulate process-based i.e., on how the product was made. We also present the public perception of state-of-the-art plant gene technologies in different regions of the world in the past 20 years. The results of literature analysis show that the public in Europe and North America is more familiar with the notion of genome editing and genetically modified organisms than the public in other world regionspublishedVersio

New face of the “RNA world”

For a very long time, RNA was considered just the medium by which information flows from DNA into the cell. The model proposed in the 1960s assumed that proteins are the main products and regulators of the gene expression process. In this context, the results of the Human Genome Project and the discoveries of RNA interference and small regulatory RNAs (srRNAs) came as a true surprise. The first ones demonstrated that less than 5% of the human genome encodes proteins. The second showed that RNA, especially 20-30 nt-long molecules should be placed among the most important factors controlling gene expression. srRNAs are capable of affecting the release and flow of genetic information in many different ways. They can induce changes in the genome structure, inhibit transcription, mediate mRNA degradation and repress translation. Interestingly, in different organisms, different pathways are used to regulate gene expression. It has recently been estimated that, in humans, the expression of 35-40% of genes is controlled by srRNA. As a result, RNA is currently believed to be a central molecule in many biological processes

Civilization diseases – therapeutic application of antisense strategy

Modulation and regulation of biosynthesis process by means of antisense oligonucleotides lay the foundation for new therapeutic strategies, among others against cancer, viral or angiogenesis diseases. The aim of this account is the presentation of molecular basis of antisense strategy and mechanism of action of antisense oligonucleotides. Furthermore we present the state of art in clinical studies of application of antisense oligonucleotides in some of civilization diseases

Genetically modified organisms – economy and safety

A short historical description of Polish contribution to astronomy and rocket technology is given. Then Polish activities in field of space exploration, such as instrument designed and build in Poland and placed on board of rockets, satellites and space probes during last 50 years are described. Contributions of the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences as well as astronomical discoveries made by Polish astrophysicists are presented. Most important missions in which instruments build in Poland were placed on board are among others: Mars Express and Venus Express, Cassini-Huygens, Rosetta and Integral. Among numerous discoveries made by Polish astrophysicists, one should mention the discovery and proper identification of powerful burst from magnetar SGR 1806-20 and the discovery of unusually rapid bursts from black hole Cyg X-1

Public opinion on biotechnology and genetic engineering in the European Union: Polish consumer study

The aim of the article is to show the current state of public opinion of Poles on biotechnology and genetic engineering in the context of European Union countries. The authors refer to the results of their own study based on a survey conducted in 2019 in Poland. To introduce the matter of public opinion on biotechnology and genetic engineering in the European Union a short review of research related to the topic is presented, showing discrepancies in perception of biotechnology and genetic engineering. The results of the survey showed that more than half of Poles noticed that products obtained by genetic engineering techniques are available on the market. Despite the fear of the research in the field of biotechnology and genetic engineering, 39 to 69% (depending on the subject of research) of Poles supported them. Moreover, 62% of Poles were opponents of genetically modified feeds as they believed that they can be harmful to human life and health. The findings regarding the current consumer perception, knowledge, and attitude towards genetically modified foods and feeds will help in building strategic approaches to educating society about genetically modified organisms and genetically modified products

Deciphering the soybean molecular stress response via high-throughput approaches

As a result of thousands of years of agriculture, humans had created many crop varieties that became the basis of our daily diet, animal feed and also carry industrial application. Soybean is one of the most important crops worldwide and because of its high economic value the demand for soybean products is constantly growing. In Europe, due to unfavorable climate conditions, soybean cultivation is restricted and we are forced to rely on imported plant material. The development of agriculture requires continuous improvements in quality and yield of crop varieties under changing or adverse conditions, namely stresses. To achieve this goal we need to recognize and understand the molecular dependencies underlying plant stress responses. With the advent of new technologies in studies of plant transcriptomes and proteomes, now we have the tools necessary for fast and precise elucidation of desirable crop traits. Here, we present an overview of high-throughput techniques used to analyze soybean responses to different abiotic (drought, flooding, cold stress, salinity, phosphate deficiency) and biotic (infections by F. oxysporum, cyst nematode, SMV) stress conditions at the level of the transcriptome (mRNAs and miRNAs) and the proteome

Identification of Structural Variants in Two Novel Genomes of Maize Inbred Lines Possibly Related to Glyphosate Tolerance

To study genetic variations between genomes of plants that are naturally tolerant and sensitive to glyphosate, we used two Zea mays L. lines traditionally bred in Poland. To overcome the complexity of the maize genome, two sequencing technologies were employed: Illumina and Single Molecule Real-Time (SMRT) PacBio. Eleven thousand structural variants, 4 million SNPs and approximately 800 thousand indels differentiating the two genomes were identified. Detailed analyses allowed to identify 20 variations within the EPSPS gene, but all of them were predicted to have moderate or unknown effects on gene expression. Other genes of the shikimate pathway encoding bifunctional 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase/shikimate dehydrogenase and chorismate synthase were altered by variants predicted to have a high impact on gene expression. Additionally, high-impact variants located within the genes involved in the active transport of glyphosate through the cell membrane encoding phosphate transporters as well as multidrug and toxic compound extrusion have been identified

A New Short Oligonucleotide-Based Strategy for the Precursor-Specific Regulation of microRNA Processing by Dicer

<div><p>The precise regulation of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis seems to be critically important for the proper functioning of all eukaryotic organisms. Even small changes in the levels of specific miRNAs can initiate pathological processes, including carcinogenesis. Accordingly, there is a great need to develop effective methods for the regulation of miRNA biogenesis and activity. In this study, we focused on the final step of miRNA biogenesis; i.e., miRNA processing by Dicer. To test our hypothesis that RNA molecules can function not only as Dicer substrates but also as Dicer regulators, we previously identified by SELEX a pool of RNA oligomers that bind to human Dicer. We found that certain of these RNA oligomers could selectively inhibit the formation of specific miRNAs. Here, we show that these specific inhibitors can simultaneously bind both Dicer and pre-miRNAs. These bifunctional riboregulators interfere with miRNA maturation by affecting pre-miRNA structure and sequestering Dicer. Based on these observations, we designed a set of short oligomers (12 nucleotides long) that were capable of influencing pre-miRNA processing <i>in vitro,</i> both in reactions involving recombinant human Dicer and in cytosolic extracts. We propose that the same strategy may be used to develop effective and selective regulators to control the production of any miRNA. Overall, our findings indicate that the interactions between pre-miRNAs and other RNAs may form very complex regulatory networks that modulate miRNA biogenesis and consequently gene expression.</p></div