This three-year, $828,217 National Science Foundation project grant supports collaborative research on RNA processing in trypanosome mitochondria at Texas A&M Agrilife Research. Funded under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), the award will advance understanding of gene expression regulation in the single-celled parasites that cause sleeping sickness.
Specifically, the award funds three objectives investigating how mRNA editing is differentially controlled across the life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei. Researchers will test a model of exploiting partial editing to inhibit mRNA maturation in two developmental forms, address substrate specificity determinants including the role of a helicase cofactor, and examine dynamic interactions and remodeling of editing components. Broader educational impacts include training opportunities for students from underrepresented STEM backgrounds. Overall, the research aims to reveal new aspects of editing regulation in T. brucei that could shed light on a long-standing question about how editing is differentially controlled across the parasite's life cycle.
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