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The role of RNA-Dependent RNA polymerases RDR1 and RDR6 in shaping the small RNA landscape of tobacco BY-2 cells by Laurent BOUHON -
Mercredi 12 mars 2025 à 16h00 - Salle Jean-Baptiste Carnoy (B.059) - Bâtiment Carnoy - Croix du Sud - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Plant cell suspensions, such as Nicotiana tabacum BY-2 cells, are an emerging expression system to produce recombinant proteins but RNA silencing is a general issue for reaching high production yields. In this process, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) mediate degradation of transgenic transcripts via post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and promote RNA-directed DNA methylation of promoter sequences, leading to transcriptional gene silencing (TGS). RNA-dependent-RNA-polymerase RDR1 and RDR6 are the first enzymes involved in siRNA production during PTGS.
Our research aimed at generating BY-2 cell lines inactivated for RDR1 and RDR6 activities, via a multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 strategy. After obtaining the inactivated lines, we investigated changes in the small RNA landscape and whether RDR1 and RDR6 inactivation could enhance recombinant protein expression in BY-2 cell culture.
Jury members :
Prof. François CHAUMONT (UCLouvain) (Supervisor)
Prof. Michel GHISLAIN (UCLouvain) (Chairperson)
Prof. Charles HACHEZ (UCLouvain) (Secretary)
Prof. Bernard HALLET (UCLouvain)
Prof. Johannes BUYEL (IBSE, Austr.)
Dr. Hervé VAUCHERET (IJPB, Fr.)
Pay attention : the public defense of Laurent BOUHON will also take place in the form of a videoconference
